Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow
Alan Carr on the return of his hit series, and plans for the bank holiday
SATURDAY / ITV
Non-stop fun merchant Alan Carr tells TV Times this will be ‘perfect Easter viewing’, promises a ‘supersized’ revival of sassy, brassy music quiz Name That Tune and reveals he can’t wait to get his hands on The Generation
Game…
Alan Carr is one of the busiest stars on TV at the moment, what with hosting Interior Design
Masters, being a judge on Rupaul’s Drag Race UK and delving into his family history on DNA Journey.
But the popular presenter has two eggs-tra reasons to be egg-cited about his Epic Gameshow returning to ITV on Saturday night. Not only is the hit series airing on Easter weekend, but it also kicks off with a celebrity special of Play Your Cards
Right, featuring Alan’s old pals Harry and Sandra Redknapp.
‘It’s perfect Easter viewing,’ promises Alan, 44. ‘And it’s great that Harry and Sandra are on it. I met them years ago on holiday in Sardinia and we got on like a house on fire. It’s like a proper reunion. I might actually ditch the questions and just show slides of our holiday instead!’
Here, in an egg-clusive interview, Alan chats to TV Times about his reboot of Name That Tune, fabulous prizes and Easter traditions…
I’m excited we’re doing Name
That Tune this series… Because I’m old, I remember it in the 1980s with Lionel Blair and I never knew how the contestants got the tunes so quickly. I always test these games on myself and my brain just went into meltdown with this – you won’t believe how frustrating it is. But everyone’s going to love it. It’s so funny and energetic and, of course, it’s supersized, so we have a huge band and live singers.
The prizes are better than ever… There aren’t many game shows where you can win a new kitchen, a car and a holiday on the one programme. I mean, take that, Tipping Point! But it’s been such an awful year and everyone’s broke and gagging for a holiday or a new car to put a smile on their face. So there’s some real determination to get the questions right, and a few tears, too.
It’s hard following in the footsteps of Bruce Forsyth… with Play Your Cards Right and The Price Is Right. I end up saying things that he used to say, like, ‘Good game, good game!’ or, ‘Didn’t they do well?!’ And I feel really sad about Des O’connor dying recently and me hosting
Take Your Pick! I really want to do them proud.
Hosting game shows can be
tiring… It’s those stairs on Strike It
Lucky – I’ve got buns of steel going up and down them! It’s not hard work, really, but you’ve got to learn the rules for Bullseye; then you
do Bullseye and you’ve got to
recap Strike It
Lucky... You have to keep your wits about you.
My favourite reboot is... The Price Is Right, because you get a bit of eye candy with the man showing off the prizes – you know, like when he opens and shuts the posh fridge! But my dream game show to do would be The Generation Game with Melanie Sykes as my Isla St Clair.
On Easter Sunday... I’ll be filming in Manchester. I lived there for seven years and I absolutely love the city, but it’s so strange with no shops or bars open. Normally Manchester is synonymous with catching up with friends and staggering around a few bars, so it’ll be pretty weird being sober and just having a Covidfriendly Easter egg!
Growing up, we always ate our Easter eggs
early… We’re not religious and my mum always forgot what day you’d eat them, so we would have ours on Good Friday instead of Easter Sunday. We also liked to watch religious movies like Ben-hur or The Ten
Commandments – anything with sandals, togas and chariots!
Post-lockdown… I think I’m on the telly enough at the moment, so my plans are a stand-up tour starting in September. I’m also desperate for a holiday, but now that there’s a £5,000 fine to go abroad, it might have to be Great Yarmouth!
THE PRIZES ARE BETTER THAN EVER