It’s fast-paced, energetic and it has balls! Yes, Catchpoint is back with Paddy McGuinness hosting the game show, but this time all the contestants playing in pairs are celebrities.
The eight-part series of Celebrity Catchpoint begins on BBC One on Saturday, April 23 at 6.45pm.
The first show features The Vivienne and Tia Kofi from Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK and DJ duo Scott Mills and Chris Stark from Radio 1.
If you're not familiar with the show, here’s how it works…
In the studio there are 10 screens which each display a possible answer to a question. When the team has decided which screen has the right answer, one player is chosen to stand by that screen.
A ball drops from a trap door above the screen with the correct answer. This is called the ‘Catchpoint’. If the team is right, the player must catch the ball in order to bank some cash.
If they drop it, they don’t win anything.
And even if the team has chosen the wrong answer, they can still try to catch the ball – if they move fast enough!
"It can get quite treacherous!" says Paddy. "I’ve seen people rip shirts and all sorts before now."
Here, Paddy tells us some of the other famous faces who are taking part, reveals which celebrity took a tumble and why his favourite questions involve food…
Can you tell us some of the celebrities who will be appearing in the new series?
"In the first show, we’ve got The Vivienne and Tia Kofi from Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK and Scott Mills and Chris Stark from Radio 1. We’ve also got Denise Van Outen and Fred Sirieix, H and Faye from Steps, Judi Love and Charlene White from Loose Women, weather presenters Owain Wyn Evans and Clare Nasir, and BBC Breakfast’s Mike Bushell and Louise Minchin. It’s a nice mixed bag and everyone who’s been on the show has really loved it and got into it."
What’s your favourite thing about hosting Celebrity Catchpoint?
"I like watching the celebrities playing the game. They come to the studio in the morning and they’re quite cool about it but after the first round, they become ultra competitive and beat themselves up if they don’t catch a ball!"
Are some celebrities more competitive than others?
"The ex-sports stars are the ones who really double down and get serious, especially if their sport involves catching a ball! We had former England goalkeeper David James on the show and he was really worried about it. When he was playing he used to get flack for not saving a goal, so he was worried that if he didn’t catch the balls it would all kick off on social media!"
Are there any changes to the format?
"There’s a new thing called Star Ball. Basically, there’s two in every game and the balls can drop anytime. If a player catches it, the other team also gets money for their chosen charity. Also, the team that doesn’t make it to the last round stays on the set instead of going off like they used to. So if a question comes up, they can help the remaining team if they’re struggling a bit. That happened on one show and it was the wrong answer, but they still managed to catch the ball and that’s the main thing."
The show involves a lot of running around and diving about to catch balls and win money. Has there ever been any accidents?
"It can get quite treacherous! I’ve seen people rip shirts and all sorts before now. Funnily enough, Louise Minchin took a bit of a tumble. As she was trying to catch a ball, she fell off the side of the stage and landed on her behind. My heart was in my mouth. She was okay though. The contestants are offered protective pads, but it’s up to them if they wear them or not. Nine times out of ten, they say no, but after a couple of games, they think ‘Maybe I should have put knee pads on.’"
Who would you like to see on the show?
"It would be nice to see my Top Gear pals Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris on as a double act, just because of their sheer difference in size! Fred will more or less be able to put his hand up and catch the ball but Chris will probably have to run around a bit!"
Would you like to be a contestant?
"Watching it being played is quite different to doing it yourself. It looks simple but when you’re looking up to catch the ball with all the lasers and music, it’s not that easy. The celebs are playing for charity and they are genuinely gutted if they don’t catch the balls. I like the luxury of not putting myself under that kind of pressure and just reading the questions."
Do you get involved in dreaming up the questions?
"No. But I’d like to say I do because they are good questions! There was one about putting Britain’s favourite biscuits in order, and another about pub names, so I like the randomness of them."
If you were a contestant, which questions do you think you would be good at?
"I think I’d be alright with comedy shows and cars, obviously, and anything to do with unhealthy food like takeaways, biscuits, chocolate and fizzy pop!"
