Tom Allen on his new Friday night show, Quizness

Virgin Radio

14 May 2021, 09:32

The comedian and presenter joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about hosting his brand new series, Quizness, which starts tonight at 8pm on Channel 4. 

Each hour-long episode sees contestants put their general knowledge to the test for a chance to win £25,000, but the quizzers don’t answer the questions in a conventional way. Tom told Chris, “It’s got a similar energy to the Two Ronnies’ Mastermind sketch, you know where they answer the previous question? It convolutes all of the answers in nonsense ways, so the contestants end up saying ridiculous things out loud.” 

Giving an example of how the show works, Tom explained, “We might ask, ‘What’s the smallest mammal?’, and the answer is something like ‘Vole’, but you don’t say, ‘Vole’, you say the answer to the question next to it, which is, ‘Who is the star of the film Top Gun?’. So I say, ‘What’s the smallest mammal?’ and you say, ‘Tom Cruise.’ Silly things like that.”

Tom explained that, in another round, contestants substitute nonsense words into the correct answers. “They replace certain words that begin with certain letters. So, all words beginning with ‘B’ have to be replaced with ‘Bubbly’ and all words beginning with ‘J’ are replaced with ‘Jubbly’. Who’s the Prime Minister? Not Boris Johnson... Bubbly Jubbly!

“We had such a fun time doing it. It’s weird to explain, but I think people will love it when they come to watch it, because it’s fun for younger people and older people. It sounds silly, but it’s also very challenging.”

Indeed, whilst the show is hilarious, it is challenging to play along with, and it builds to an exciting final round. “That last round is very serious,” Tom confirmed. “I had to take it very seriously for the contestants, otherwise it doesn't make sense. So, of course you’re willing them on, but you can’t help them. It was very stressful, actually. You want everybody to win, but they can’t all win.”

Tom told Chris that the show is an original format. “Dan Maier created it, who works a lot with Harry Hill. He’s so wonderful. He’s got that sort of obtuse and surreal sense of humour which really lends itself to the show very well. 

“It’s the same sort of slot as Bake Off: An Extra Slice, that I do with Jo Brand. Eight o’clock on a Friday, which I think is a nice time for people, because maybe they’ve had their tea, and they’re sitting down for a nice little bit of entertainment in the good old fashioned way. Just enjoying a bit of fun. I think that’s what this show provides. 

“It’s very deadpan and very surreal and I think it will sit very nicely on people’s TV viewing schedules. We’re very, very proud of it. It sounds daft but it’s very funny.”

He went on to joke, “It’s all we can do, isn’t it? Try to make people laugh, try to find a bit of levity in a terrible world!” 

As well as the new Channel 4 show, you can see the hard-working comedian in plenty of other places. Tom is a regular on Sky One’s There's Something About Movies, alongside host Alan Carr and team captains Jennifer Saunders and Michael Sheen. “That is absolute, daft nonsense. Very camp,” he enthused. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in anything as camp as that. The stupid things we get to do on that show, it’s so fun!”

Tom also hosts Bake Off: The Professionals alongside former Great British Bake Off contestant Liam Charles. “I’ll be back in the kitchen with Liam, watching some professional chefs cry,” he laughed, before adding, “but in a fun way, an endearing way!” 

The sharp-witted, shart-suited comedian, who released his first book and memoir, No Shame, at the end of last year, told Chris that his onscreen and onstage confident demeanour is not an entirely accurate representation of him. “It’s nice that people think I’m confident,” he noted. “I’m actually not that confident, but it’s all hidden with suits and bright pocket squares! 

“But, you know, I like that I manage to create a sense of confidence. I think we’re all doing that.”