OK! reviews
PRESENTER Stacey Dooley Tells Us All ABOUT THE GUESS-WHO WITH A DIFFERENCE ON This is MY house...
Zoom has kept us connected through the pandemic but it’s also turned a lot of us into background busybodies. Hands up if you’ve zoned out during a video chat while perusing a colleague’s bookshelf…
Now, new show This Is MY House, hosted by Stacey Dooley, taps into that natural nosiness as four people try to convince a panel of celebs a house is theirs – but only one is telling the truth.
“I probe them and ask questions they should know the answers to if it really is their house,” Stacey, 34, explains. “It’s a bit Gogglebox, a bit Through The Keyhole and with a bit of Would I Lie To You? as well”
The celeb panel is made up of Bill Bailey, Emily Atack, Jamali Maddix and Judi Love, who are joined by a different guest judge each week. “It’s a lot harder than you think,” admits Bill. “We were caught out quite a few times.”
“It really is such a fun show,” adds Stacey, who tells us more...
Hi, Stacey! So, what’s your new show about?
We go into people’s houses where there are three impostors and one genuine homeowner. Our celebrity panel has to figure out who lives there. If they guess correctly, the homeowner wins £1,000 – but if an impostor convinces them, the homeowner gets nothing. It’s daft and fun! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
What’s your favourite part?
When you meet the partner. They stay mute while three impostors declare their undying love. It’s so awkward. The owner has to watch these strangers tell their husband or wife how gorgeous they are!
Why this show?
There’s such an appetite for escapism at the moment. We’ve all had such a hellish time and this is such a laugh. You play along, everyone has those unconscious biases and automatically judge people. I love how the show breaks down those boundaries.
Did you play along too and did you often guess correctly?
I didn’t want to know who the homeowner was, so I could play along as we filmed. Sometimes I cottoned on quickly but there were a couple where I was convinced it was one of the actors’ homes.
How do you spot the liars?
The tell-tale signs for me were how they moved around the home, the way they opened drawers, little things like that.
Were there any surprises while you were filming?
The biggest surprise is when you think you have it right, and then something changes and you realise you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Tell us about the celebrity panel...
Emily is a total sweetheart, I have never worked with her before so that was lovely. Judi is a scream, she is so funny. Bill is the kindest man in TV, he bought me a cake on the last day of filming. And Jamali reminds me of the lads I grew up with, which was really lovely.
Who do you think had the best eye for honesty?
Jamali had the best eye for honesty, nothing got past him. But I loved watching them debating.
This is MY house starts on Wednesday 24 March at 9pm on BBC one and Will also Be available on the BBC iplayer