V presenter Alexander Armstrong selected to host quiz present Pointless as a substitute of Countdown as he needed one thing that will have “a little bit of comedy.”
The 52-year-old has introduced the BBC One teatime present because it debuted in 2009.
Earlier than becoming a member of Pointless, comic Armstrong was requested to take over from presenter Des O’Connor on the favored Channel 4 letters and numbers sport.
He advised Good Morning Britain: “I did flip down Countdown. I took it very critically, nicely it’s a job, I take the whole lot critically that I’m supplied.
“I felt Countdown was a really revered format and I received the sense that there wasn’t going to be a variety of leeway to muck about with it and Pointless is all mucking about actually.
“I wouldn’t have been in a position to do each. Pointless was my little deal with for saying no to Countdown, however it was a very robust name as a result of they have been such good folks and I like Countdown.
“However I needed to do one thing that was a little bit bit extra… mainly I had form of stopped doing comedy by then and I needed one thing that will have a little bit of comedy in it. A bit of little bit of comedy juice.”
Jeff Stelling, Nick Hewer and Anne Robinson have since been on the helm of Countdown, which launched in 1982. Colin Murray is the present host having began in July.
Armstrong’s tenure at Pointless has seen him movie greater than 1,300 episodes and almost 30 sequence alongside Richard Osman.
In April, Osman introduced he’s stepping again from internet hosting the present after virtually 13 years to “consider writing”.
“Richard has needed to put extra time into being a famous person international best-selling writer which is so annoying and so inconvenient and inconsiderate of him,” Armstrong joked.
“He nonetheless does the Saturday reveals so he’s nonetheless round and I nonetheless get to see my previous pal. We’ve received a rotating roster of thrilling friends and its very pretty, we get friends to return in for 11 reveals and simply as they’re discovering their rhythm and it’s all going rather well they exit and the subsequent is available in.
“It’s been actually thrilling, to date we’ve had 5 visitor hosts, Sally Lindsay, Lauren Laverne, Alex Brooker Konnie Huq and Stephen Mangan.”
Osman was not initially supposed to be Armstrong’s co-presenter however after filling the position as a part of an indication laid on for the BBC, executives requested him to proceed for the primary sequence. He was the inventive director at manufacturing firm Endemol when he did the demo.
The programme moved from BBC Two to BBC One after a profitable two years.
Pointless sees groups of two competing for a money prize by discovering right however obscure solutions to normal information questions.
