Interview with Jermaine Jenas for Time Crashers

Why did you agree to do Time Crashers?

The main reason I agreed to do the show is because I wasn’t clued up enough on my own British history. I felt like it’s something I need to know more about. My kids are going to school and coming back with homework, I don’t want to be clueless, I wanted to learn more.

Was it a big test for you seeing as you’ve only ever been involved in football?
I was massively out of my comfort zone. That was another reason I wanted to do the show and why I was attracted to it.

What did you make of the other celebrities?
Once we all turned up and got to meet each other, I was delighted. We all got on so well, we were together for a long period of time and we still keep in touch with each other to this day. I’m really impressed with Channel 4 for finding a group of people who got on and not just picking people they thought would cause conflict.

What was your biggest concern going into the show?
My biggest concern out of everything was the cold, to be honest with you. The sleeping situation was the thing that really got me. I knew it was going to be tough, and I knew I could also be eating lots of weird things. One of the other things I was concerned about was the social structure of the eras we were going into, how were they going to treat young, mixed race boys in those days? I didn’t know, so it was worrying and it did play on my mind.

Was there any issue with your ethnicity in the different eras?
What actually happened was that it was more to do with age than ethnicity, it came down to experience. For example, being 32 I was older than a lot of the people there, so whereas some of the lads were treated like teenagers, I just managed to scrape through into the older roles, so I was things like a squire. In one era we went into it was based on whether you were good looking and tall! You were classed as the peacock of the house, so if you were tall and good looking you got paid more money.

Was it hard not speaking to your wife?
It was hard not being able to talk to her but even with that there’s an upside, it relights the fire between us. I missed her. You spend so much time with each other that you forget that feeling of actually missing them. It did that for me and when I got back it made us both realise a lot of the things you take for granted with one another.

Did you bond with anyone in particular?
Meg Mathews was the first person I met and we clicked straight away. Chris Ramsey and I got on really well. Keith Allen was like the dad of the group. I worked with Chris nearly every era so we became good mates. I had to keep him in check a bit; he’s one of those guys where if he thinks he can get away with something then he’ll try! Kirstie was amazing, she’s this big Hollywood star who came over here and I ended up getting on with her so well, it was weird.

What was your favourite era?
I think it was the Victorian era; it was by far the most enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, it was still tough and exhausting. I liked the clothes; they actually fit and looked alright! There was no minute off, but when I was in the Victorian era I was a fisherman. Even though I was working, it was outdoors with the other guys and we got treated to some nice fish and chips at the end of it all! It felt like we were one team and not separated into teams.

                                                                                                              
Did things get worse?
It didn’t get worse; it just got more tiring on my body. We didn’t get much food; we were just living off bread and cheese because that’s what they would eat in those eras most of the time. We weren’t getting much food; we never got much sleep because we were sleeping on beds of straw or sometimes just the cold floor. The manor houses that we were staying in were like big fridges. As soon as it got cold the stones would just absorb the cold and hold on to it. I remember getting up one night to go to the loo and I had to go outside. It was actually warmer outside than it was in the room. It was ridiculous! The other thing that was weird was that as soon as the sun went we had to stop work because in those days that’s what they did. So the sun would go down about 7pm and they expected us to go to bed, I was like, ‘What do you mean? How am I supposed to sleep? I’m not a baby!’

Did any of the other celebs find it easier?
Keith Allen! The first night it was just me, Keith and Chris in one room. Keith took off his shorts, stuck them over his head and fell asleep - and he was snoring so loudly! He was built for every era, no matter which one we went in he could fall asleep within seconds, it was so annoying. It was a real skill. By the end of it I was like, ‘I need to get into Keith mode and go to sleep’, but it wasn’t that easy.

Has doing this show made you realise how easy you have it in the 21st century?
I’ve always had an appreciation of my life and the lifestyle me and my family have become accustomed to. It’s more to do with the little things. I nearly lost my cool in one episode because I had to start a fire and I couldn’t get it going. So when you get home it’s those little things where you’ve got matches in the drawer and some butter in the fridge. Even the preparation of food, you know, you don’t have to skin animals before you eat them; they just come in handy packets.

Were you punished like some of the other celebrities? No, I was a good boy! I went into quite a competitive mode, where a lot people wanted to have a laugh but I knew it fell on my shoulders whether or not we passed the task. So I was all for having a laugh but I didn’t want to look like an idiot.

Is there a favourite moment that sticks in your mind?
It was probably the last era, the Iron Age. We were left to our own devices and had to take everything we had learned already to make it work. We all pitched in and at the end it felt great. We all felt a little weird that it had come to an end after spending so much time together. We sat around a fire telling talking about the experience and how much we had achieved.

Would you say the experience has changed you in any way?
I think it’s given me more confidence. I have kind of drifted into this world of television after years in sport, so constantly being on film, dealing with weird situations in an uncomfortable environment, dressed like an idiot, but I did it! Also, the relationships I managed to build on the show with people I had never met, that has boosted confidence. I just can’t believe that I almost passed up the opportunity to do it because I thought it was too far out of my comfort zone.

Why should fans tune in and watch Time Crashers?
They can enjoy the experience of going back to all these different times and learning what it was actually like. It’s going to be fascinating and also they can enjoy a bunch of footballers, comics, actors and Hollywood stars looking like idiots every now and again! It’s going to be a great show and having done it, I honestly feel privileged to have been asked to take part.