Warwick Davis reveals why filming the first Tenable All Stars was an experience he won’t forget in a hurry…
Quiz shows and celebrity specials go hand in hand. In fact, "What are the top ten UK celebrity quiz shows?" could be a question on ITV’s addictive game show Tenable. The series, which sees a team of five contestants attempt to win £125, 000 by answering "Top Ten" list-style questions, has been running since 2016. Yet it’s taken until now for host Warwick Davis to head up a celebrity special.
Here Warwick, 49, tells TV Times more about the first celeb edition of Tenable…
Tenable gets its first celebrity version this week, what can viewers expect?
Warwick Davis: "Yes, it’s our first All Star Tenable and it’s lovely having celebrity teams playing for charity. We’ve made quite a number of shows in the regular format [140 episodes at last count] and a celebrity version is something I’ve thought about since we started, but I didn’t realise how well it would work out. It adds a whole new layer to watching Tenable because you kind-of know the people playing the game."
There are three celebrity teams (see Warwick’s guide below), how well did they play?
WD: "I always want the teams to win anyway, and as these guys are playing for charity, I was trying to be as helpful as possible – but sometimes there was no helping them! They’re all used to being in the limelight but something made their brains go to mush when they got up there and started playing the game! I was surprised by some of the answers we ended up getting – it was quite a revelation."
What stands out from filming?
WD: "As you can imagine, the celebrity shows take longer to record than regular shows. And the I’m a Celebrity special took the longest. In the middle of it, the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate the studio. It gave me a breather – and I needed one! We also have a new All Star theme tune with lyrics. I had to do a few different takes when we started recording because it’s incredibly camp and made me giggle!"
What do you enjoy most about presenting Tenable?
WD: "It’s a great show because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I never have either. I’ve always wanted to host a chat show – that’s my ultimate career goal, and in a way Tenable allows me to do that. I enjoy finding out about people and I like that there’s a lot of humour. No two shows are the same!"
Meet the teams!
Warwick gives his verdict on the competitors…
The Medal Heads
Olympians Tessa Sanderson, Sharron Davies, Iwan Thomas, Kriss Akabusi and Jade Johnson.
"Kriss was pretty full on," says Warwick. "He got quite animated and excitable. Of the three teams, these guys were the most together. They’re all Olympic medal winners and the competitiveness between them really shone through. They’re used to being top of their game and even though it’s a team game they wanted to be the best on the team!"
The Junglist Massive
I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! stars Tony Blackburn, Christopher Biggins, Joe Pasquale, Martin Roberts and Kim Woodburn.
"Martin was absolutely into it and so competitive," recalls Warwick. "Joe, well, you never knew what he was going to say! Tony had a question about music and although he’s a DJ, he found it quite tricky. Kim had trouble grasping the concept of the game initially, which was really funny. I had to keep explaining how to play the game while they were playing the game!"
The Party Animals
Politicians Ann Widdecombe, George Galloway, Lembit Opik, John Sergeant and Edwina Currie.
"I thought this show could be a bit dull but oh my goodness it certainly wasn’t!" laughs Warwick. "They’re great characters and there’s still some rivalry between them. I enjoy people who give me a bit of shtick back and Ann was a formidable character not to be messed with… She wasn’t particularly happy with the questions we gave her!"
All Star Tenable, presented by Wariwck Davis, is on ITV this Sunday at 7pm.
