By Patrick Cremona

Published: Sunday, 22 May 2022 at 12:00 am

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Since Anne Robinson announced her departure from Countdown last month, there’s been a lot of talk about who might replace her as the next permanent host of the beloved daytime game show.

And now-former presenter Nick Hewer – who fronted the show for almost a decade between 2012 and 2021 – has picked out his personal favourites to land the role.

Hewer spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com following Robinson’s departure and singled out Colin Murray – who is currently filling in on a temporary basis – and Dictionary Corner regular Gyles Brandreth amongst his top picks.

“I think one of the great fans of Countdown from the very beginning is Gyles Brandreth,” he said. “I mean, he’s been coming as a guest for 30 years and loves the show and is, I think, an extraordinary talent. Whether he’s got time to do it or not, I don’t know, but he would be wonderful – he’s such as such a nice, kind, man, a lovely chap.

He added: “I think Richard Osman has been heavily tipped from what I can see, and I think he’d be wonderful, although he’s saying he’s just given up Pointless because he’s too busy, so he may find that a little bit of a out of the frying pan into the fire.”

And on Murray he said: “Colin Murray took over from me when I couldn’t go to the studio because of lockdown. He is a big fan and is very likable and very articulate, and loves the show.

“I mean, there are people that you might not think of,” he continued. “Phil Hammond, Dr. Phil. He’s a very nice man and pretty widely read and a smart guy. So he might fit in very well. He always loved coming on, as did Jon Culshaw.

“And I think that Clive Myrie suddenly has hit his stride and is a brilliant presenter, but he’s got Mastermind, where I think he’s an absolute triumph. A real triumph. And he’s also a news man, so he may not have that sort of time flexibility.”

Regardless of who takes over, Hewer had some simple advice to impart. ‘The first thing, I think is to not impose yourself on the show,” he explained.

“Because it’s the show that’s the important thing. You might say, well it’s very formulaic, but actually people are watching that show because they want to do the words and the numbers, people love to do it. So they’re not turning on to watch the presenter, that’s for sure – the presenter should just be there, just keeping the thing on rails.

“Secondly, you’ve got to look after the contestants, who are brilliant at home but when they turn up in the studio and there’s an audience there, and the lights, and there are six big cameras on wheels moving around like Daleks, and there are all these people being miked up, and the lighting is being changed, and then the big clock goes, suddenly they’re terrified.

“And the job of the host is to make them feel at home. And I think that’s a vital part of it is to be there and to ensure that nobody is disappointed in the experience. They should be proud and love the experience.”

Read more

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