TV Formats Quotes

When we started with 'Big Brother' and created the reality genre, no one could ever foresee that there was so much space in the genre that it could deliver so many formats. There will be periods where there is not enough new stuff to keep the genre alive. But it will never die.

I was asked before to go out on '8 out of 10 Cats,' and I've been asked to go on 'Question Time,' I said to no to that. I don't see myself coming across well on that sort of thing.

Doing reality TV is a lot harder than I thought because I come from the world of [scripted] television where everything is thought out and you know what's going to happen, your lines, what your wardrobe is going to be, etc. But with reality, it's very spontaneous and the cameras are around for 12 hours a day.

Obviously neither 'American Idol' nor 'Dancing With the Stars' is a variety show in the classic sense, but the way they incorporate elements of drama, comedy and suspense is moderately ingenious.

I was the first judge in the 'Indian Idol' format. The biggest risk when you adapt a format from a country in the West is how to make it your own, so I remember at the press conference for Indian 'X Factor,' the press would ask, 'Who is Simon Cowell?' And I said 'Why don't you ask Simon Cowell, 'Who is Sonu Nigam?'

I hate Cha Cha Cha the most on 'Strictly.' If I was in charge of 'Strictly' I'd get rid of Cha Cha Cha.

The anthology format is completely normal to me. That's just how TV works in my experience.

I don't think I've said more than hi to Kenny King ever. And I think that's in part because 'The Bachelor' is a much different type of show than something like 'WAGS.'

Dating shows should exist for people who aren't straight. They're out there, there aren't enough of them. Whether you try and squeeze a format that already works into something else. I don't know.'

I can do a dance, adventure, or sports-based reality shows. But I cannot live in a locked house because I'm very moody.

Strictly' is nothing like 'Love Island'… absolutely not.

I am very excited about the TV medium and the Amazon-Netflix medium. It has been so liberating to work on these formats.

The trend now is to get away from stage bound sitcoms.

A lot of the times, reality shows don't like people to break the fourth wall. With a docu-series or a documentary, everyone breaks the fourth wall because you're talking to the camera quite a bit.

Certain formats should never be forgotten, 'Blind Date' for instance, because 'Britain's Got Talent' is really 'New Faces' or 'The Gong Show,' whilst we're basically 'Opportunity Knocks.'

A lot of panel programmes rely on men topping each other, or sparring with each other, which is not generally a very female thing.