Alexander Armstrong reveals all about getting into the mindset of the British public for his interactive new gameshow Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain
Alexander Armstrong is at the helm of ITV’s fun live quiz Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain, which sees viewers give their opinion, via an app, on a variety of hot topics while celebrity panels, captained by Frank Skinner and Jonathan Ross, predict how they will vote.
TV Times put some questions of our own to Pointless host Alexander, 47, as the show continues this week…
What was the appeal of the series for you? “It is a dream because we have the opportunity to have a live instant referendum on any issue that we throw at our audience from topical questions of the day to ‘What should you do if you can’t flush away what you have left in the toilet at your in-laws’ house?’ So we are seeing where our nation’s morality lies too. It’s fascinating.”
Is this something politicians should watch to gauge public opinion? “Yes, because there are some interesting results. In the last few years, elections have resulted in some big surprises, which have gone against what pollsters have predicted, so here we have a chance to learn how Brits really think. Maybe I should hotfoot it down to No. 10 to have a pow-wow with Theresa May to talk through what we found. Perhaps I will get myself a red box!”
Has working on Pointless left you with a good measure of how people are likely to respond to a certain question? “Richard Osman is much better than I am at predicting likely outcomes. He will often play a live version of Pointless with our audience where he makes them guess how many people said Dancing Queen when they had to name an Abba song or how many people named Banquo as character in Macbeth? I’m less good at that.”
Are there any questions you’d like the public to decide on? “Yes! I want to find out which side of the bed I should sleep on. During a discussion recently I was told that I don’t sleep on the correct side of the bed for a man. I won’t reveal which side that is, but it is the same side of the bed as Homer Simpson. I think we need a consensus.”
What have you got coming up next? “I have been having a lovely time putting together a celebrity Full Monty troupe with Ashley Banjo. We have been training under Ashley’s expert guidance in all ways of striptease and we will be doing the Full Monty live at the London Palladium and on ITV. It’s all in aid of men’s cancer.”
Watch a trailer for Don't Ask Me Ask Britain
https://youtu.be/JfGIjR0ewkI
Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain screens on Tuesday, April 18 on ITV at 8pm
