showbiz
Jeremy Vine
Broadcaster and journalist Jeremy Vine is about
to present a new quiz show spin-off, Revenge of
the Egghead. He talks about specialist subjects,
the best thing about working for the BBC, and
the ‘most annoying’ Egghead.
How would you describe your new series,
revenge of the Egghead?
It features probably the most annoying Egghead, CJ de Mooi
- anyone who watches the show knows what I mean. We just
thought it would be fun if he took on members of the public
on his own; they’re able to act together to try to defeat him,
and he can also try to catch them out with questions he’s
written himself. We’ve recorded about a dozen now, and it’s
going well. The most exciting thing is when CJ loses!
What do you think makes Eggheads so
successful?
It’s a brilliant format - the Eggheads themselves are quiz
people, and the thing about people who are really, really
good at quizzing is that they’re just built differently. Bringing
five of them together to try to defeat ordinary pub quiz
teams was a brilliant idea because they might win 14 out of
15, but you’re so desperate for them to lose. And on the
15th one, when the team of ordinary people pick up the
jackpot, it’s just a thrilling moment.
Do you have any rivalry with the chase?
It’s funny because someone said the other day in the
studio, “Isn’t this show we’re doing with CJ just like The
Chase?”. And I said, “No, you’ve got it the wrong way round
- Eggheads is the granddaddy”.
When you started out in journalism did you ever
think that one day you’d be hosting a quiz show?
Well, the great thing about the BBC is there’s just so much
going on - there’s comedy, arts, news, everything. I think the
key thing is to start out in news and to spend a long time
there to show that you’re serious about the world beyond
the studio, and then branching out can be a lot of fun. I’ll
always be a journalist - I’m about to go and do my Radio
2 show, which although it’s a show that contains records, I
always think of as a news show.
Do you have a preference for tv or radio?
I get asked that a lot, and I’m almost on the edge of saying
radio, but I know that’s probably a disastrous answer.
TV gives you impact, radio gives you intimacy, TV is an
announcement and radio is a conversation. I started getting
recognised by more people in the street when I was on
Radio 2 than when I was on Newsnight. That’s partly the
audience, but it’s also the fact that people think they know
you more on the radio - the person comes over in a way
they don’t on TV.
What’s coming up next for you?
As well as the Radio 2 show and Eggheads, I do Points of
View and I also do the election graphics, which Peter Snow
used to do, and that’s going to be quite a big thing - there’s
the general election next year, and then there’s the Scottish
referendum this year. That’s a big part of my life now. And
apart from that I’ve got two small children at home, so I’m
trying to be a dad, which I think is the key thing.
New series, Revenge of The Egghead,
starts on BBC Two on Monday 4th February.
Monday to Friday at 6pm.
www.lifebeginsmagazine.com
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