Move over, Lineker: quiz shows need a professional

Your starter for ten: who on earth thought it a good idea to hire Ross Kemp to present a quiz show? Or Gary Lineker? Or Lucy Worsley? And don’t get me started on Amol Rajan.

Back in the mists of time, the general rule was to hire either specialist  – Nicholas Parsons and Robert Robinson for instance, who had cut their teeth on similar roles before moving to TV – or popular stand-up comics such as Bob Monkhouse and Bruce Forsyth who knew how to ad lib.

Now the television commissioners seem intent on ramming square pegs into round holes. Kemp, a former EastEnders star, may be a passable soap actor and documentary frontman but when it comes to shepherding members of the public through the complicated format of the BBC’s Bridge of Lies game show, he’s as wooden as the bar of the Queen Vic and radiates the same amount of warmth as Grant Mitchell.

But he is not alone. There seems to be a growing trend of plucking celebrities out of their comfort zone, believing they will make great hosts of daytime and, in some cases, peak-time TV gameshows. Actors, footballers, pop stars and others whose day job rarely involves dealing with ‘ordinary’ members of the public are suddenly thrown face to face with the great unwashed and seem out of their depth.

Gary Lineker and Alex Scott, for instance. Great footballers in their day and both are at ease when discussing VAR on Match of the Day or Football Focus. However, get them to fire questions at Maureen from Derby or Dave from Basingstoke and suddenly they seem like rabbits caught in the headlights. Lineker in particular seems even more static in the studio than he did on the pitch, ploughing through weak scripted jokes and banal chitchat on Sitting on a Fortune.

For the lucky millions who haven’t seen it, it involves contestants sitting behind each other as if they’re about to do the rowing dance to ‘Oops Upside Your Head’. ITV described the show as ‘thrilling’. I doubt many viewers would.

Poor old Alex Scott only got to make two seasons of The Tournament for daytime viewers before the BBC wisely pulled the plug under the guise of ‘making space in the schedules for other products.’ Away from footballers, others who seem to completely lack any warmth or empathy on their shows include Ru Paul on Lingo. Presenting out of drag, he has the look of someone who feels exposed. Without the make-up and wig, his style becomes stilted and simply doesn’t suit the format.

Similarly, former pop stars Rochelle and Marvin Humes seem to emit little or no chemistry with either the guests on their show The Hit List or, indeed, with each, other which is surprising as they are married. At this point, it is worth mentioning one former footballer who is not just good at presenting a quiz show but possibly the only host out there fit to fill the shoes of past quizzing legends.

Step forward, Bradley Walsh. A former Rolls-Royce apprentice who went on to sign professional terms with Brentford FC before injury cut short a promising career. Through hard graft at Pontins, he went on to become a stand-up comic, a decent actor and a corny crooner whose debut album was the best-selling record of the year. For what seems like the last 100 years, he has been presenting The Chase. It’s on ITV five days a week, up against Pointless on the BBC but manages to wipe the floor with its rival. This is mainly thanks to its host.

Walsh, who celebrated his 63rd birthday recently, not only seems a natural with the guests but also the faintly absurd figure of the ‘Chaser’, who contestants have to vie with to answer multiple choice questions. He has the empathy, the chemistry and down-to-earth manner that puts nervous contestants at ease, as well as a quick-fire wit. Perhaps this is the key. On the other side, Pointless is hosted by Alexander Armstrong who, while chummy in a much posher sort of way, tends to use the same stock phrases with whoever he is dealing with.

But Walsh is the undisputed king of the quiz show. Those who have met him tell me that what you see on screen is what you get off. No diva behaviour, but a normal bloke who has been rewarded for his natural talent and hard work. What Walsh does have, like many other comedians who successfully host gameshows, is the stand-up background. If you can deal with hostile hecklers and disinterested Edinburgh Festival attendees, then you can handle a few contestants who want to win a jackpot but are happy if they go home with enough to pay their energy bills.

The roll call of comics turned successful gameshow hosts stretches back years, from Brucie and Monkhouse. There are other, modern examples too, like, Michael McIntyre, who thrives despite the ridiculous concept of The Wheel, and Lee Mack, battling against the expensive but confusing 1% Club.

There are exceptions to this rule. Jason Manford looks less comfortable hosting Unbeatable than he does in front of an audience of thousands on stage. Established format favourites are easier for new hosts, whoever they are. Stephen Mulhern appears a neat fit to Catchphrase for instance and Dara Ó Briain is the same with Blockbusters.

However, when the original hosts are so synonymous with their show, then it is a different story. Bamber Gascoigne’s stewardship of University Challenge was never matched by Jeremy Paxman’s sneering. And if you think he was smug, wait till the ego has landed with Amol Rajan in full swing. Richard Whiteley’s unique style as the first host of Countdown, where he seemed to be in permanent discomfort, was much loved and the successors to Magnus Magnusson on Mastermind makes you realise just how much better he was.

Finally, if Bradley is the king of the quiz show then the queen is, surely, Victoria Coren Mitchell on Only Connect. Cool, calm, funny and clever and with a very real connection with the somewhat nerdy participants who are willing to go through all this for no money or fame but simply because they want to. That’s dedication. Or madness.