Mel and Sue on the return of The Generation Game this Saturday on BBC1 at 8pm
Sue Perkins has revealed that she and presenting partner Mel Giedroyc behaved like toddlers as they got to test all the games for their revival of The Generation Game.
Here Mel and Sue tell TV Times about bringing back The Generation Game and their admiration for original host Bruce Forsyth….
How does it feel to be bringing The Generation Game back nearly half a century after it first aired?
Mel Giedroyc: “This is one of the most cherished entertainment shows and we don’t take that lightly.”
Sue Perkins: “We’ve stayed true to the spirit of the original – we meet some great families and we try to give them the best night of their lives.”
Were there any standout moments that made you giggle during filming?
Sue: “We don’t want to spoil the surprise, but we witnessed some of the most graphic teapot spouts ever made on television. So graphic, some of the contestants needed counselling afterwards. It took us about an hour to stop laughing!”
Were you on hand to test out the games?
Sue: “We tried all of them, because essentially, we behave like toddlers and love to get our hands dirty.”
Mel: “After the recordings there was barely a surface of the set that hadn’t been smeared, smashed or gunked by us.”
The beloved Sir Bruce Forysth hosted the show in the 1970s and again in the 1990s. What is your favourite memory from those days of The Generation Game?
Sue: “We grew up with Brucie, and they don’t make them like that anymore. He was the only entertainer we can think of who not only had a catchphrase, but a personalised silhouette – that bent leg, fist-to-forehead stance.”
Mel: “As soon as you saw that, you knew you were in for a good night. He was a one-off, a legend and an utter gentleman.”
One of the best bits of the show is watching the legendary conveyor-belt game and trying to memorise all of the prizes. How many items do you think you could remember?
Sue: “Out of 20? We think we could safely remember four.”
Mel: “Anything after the heated towel rail and the mind goes blank to be honest.
Sue: We love a heated towel rail.”
If you could choose just one prize from the conveyor belt to take home, what would it be?
Mel: “It’d be too easy to say the cuddly toy.”
Sue: “In truth, we’d be tempted by the fondue set, having always wanted to be those people who sit around dipping a courgette into hot cheese.”
Finally, how would you sum up the new series?
Sue: “Four words: Clay, sausages, Danny Dyer.”
