TV star laments the lack of slots for teething presenters
TV star Rick Edwards has bemoaned a “real absence” of programmes to give young presenters their start.
The Impossible gameshow host found fame on T4 on Channel 4 and E4, which aired at weekends.
Other presenters who got their break on the slot include Simon Amstell, Dave Berry, Alexa Chung, Matt Edmondson, Nick Grimshaw, Jameela Jamil, Vernon Kay and Miquita Oliver.
Edwards, who presented the show from 2007 to 2011, said: “I wonder how people come through now, without [that kind of show].
“T4 was amazing for that. If you look at all the people who have come through it, all of them, pretty much, have done well.
“Or even the music stuff. I started out doing music stuff on E4. There is a bit of that on 4Music, but there is no CD:UK or SMTV – shows where young presenters can start out. There’s a real absence.”
Edwards said the advent of social media has changed things a lot.
“When I started out trying to be a presenter, I had no means of filming myself,” he said. “You’d pretty much just go in and meet people and say, ‘I think I’d be good at this’.
“Whereas now you can film stuff to a pretty high quality on your phone, upload it, see if people like it – and that’s really helpful.
“But, at the same time, I don’t know where that necessarily leads, because there is a difference between being a Youtuber [and a presenter].
“What they do is similar but it isn’t presenting. I couldn’t do what they do, it’s very natural, very honest, really good communicators, but it isn’t the same as presenting.”