Ex Countdown host Nick Hewer wore the same pair of trousers on the C4 hit for 10 years, his successor has revealed.
Anne Robinson is set to take over from Nick Hewer as the presenter of Countdown on Monday June 28, and she explains that when she started on the show, she found out a secret about Nick that will come as a shock to viewers.
The long-running game show has a very busy filming schedule, recording five episodes a day at MediaCity in Salford. This can sometimes mean that the turn-around period between episodes is very short, as Anne discovered — but she learned that Nick had a trick to save valuable time!
"I've never met Nick — he very kindly offered for us to have a chat and I thanked him, but I thought it was possibly wiser just to dive in, so we haven't spoken," Anne tells us. "But wardrobe and the stylists at Countdown told me that his one tip was that he wore the same blue cord trousers for 10 years, and just changed jackets!"
Anne is known for her love of shopping, and tells us that she went on a spree to buy new outfits for her latest job — but she's beginning to see the sense in Nick's advice.
"It's quite a tricky change if you change into another frock," says Anne. "You've got to get into and out of a frock, zipped up, mic-ed up, redo your hair and make-up, all in 10 minutes, so I can see the wisdom of just cardis with buttons now!"
While Anne has wardrobe shortcuts that she can take advantage of, she expressed admiration for her co-host Rachel Riley, who doesn't have a desk to hide behind...
"Three days' filming means 15 different outfits," says Anne. "Rachel's dressing room is next to mine, and there's a long, long rail of beautiful, floaty frocks — and she, of course, is well into what makes it easiest. It's not difficult to look completely beautiful if you're Rachel! She's the only one who has to do it full-length — in incredibly high heels!"
Countdown airs weekdays at 2.10pm on C4. Anne's first episode as host can be seen on Monday June 28.
