Noel Edmonds interview and video clip

16 September 2015

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Deal or No Deal celebrates an incredible 10 years on Channel 4 with a very special show that sees Sarah Millican turn the tables on Noel Edmonds. Here, Noel reflects on sitting in the 'crazy chair', and what the past ten years have meant to him.

 

DOND is ten years old. When you started out, did you ever think you’d reach such a milestone?

I turned it down three times. That’s how bright I am. I have to be honest, I had no idea that it would be the phenomenon that it’s turned out to be. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the success it has enjoyed. I was originally contracted to do 66 shows, and I’ve hosted nearly 3,000.

 

The tenth birthday show has quite a treat in store for the viewers.

There had been discussions about how to celebrate ten years – there had been talk about maybe getting a celebrity in – and then the team came up with what I thought was a great idea – and that was to bring back 22 of the most memorable players, and one of them would get the chance to be selected to play the game for a second time. I thought that was a great idea, and I never suspected for a moment that it wasn’t going to happen.

 

Explain a little bit about why it wasn’t going to happen.

Well… I was briefed as to what was to happen. This large ball came down from the ceiling, as we’ve done on many occasions in shows like this. And somebody from the audience would select one of the balls, I would crack it open and reveal the name of the player who was to get this incredible opportunity to play the game twice. And it was quite a moment when I cracked open the ball and saw my name. And just for a second, I had to think “Do we have someone playing called Noel?” I’d already recorded two shows that day, I was a bit confused. Then it went ‘clang’. I cracked open another ball to be sure, and that one said Noel as well. And then Sarah Millican walked out. And I knew something was up. But it was a very slow penny-drop. Genuinely, I had imagined what it was like to play the game, I had thought a lot about how I would play the game, but I never thought for a moment I would ever be given the honour of playing the game. And I underline the word ‘honour’.

I’m so honoured to have had the chance, at last, to play a game that has dominated my professional life for ten years. If it hadn’t been for Deal, I would never have met my beautiful wife [the show’s make up artist] Liz. I would never have had some of the most wonderful experiences ever in a TV environment, and I wouldn’t have made so many valuable and lasting friendships with my colleagues. It has consumed my life for ten years, and I’m so grateful.

 

Sarah’s been on the show herself – she’s a big fan, isn’t she?

She played, and found it one of the most arduous experiences of her professional life. She had no idea she was going to find it so draining.

 

Do you think that having witnessed thousands of shows in the past put you in a better position to play the game?

No. Not at all. Members of the team asked me the same question. There would be an assumption, because I’ve been closest to every single game, that I would have some magical gameplay and achieve an unbelievable result, because I’ve seen how everybody else has done it. And, of course, it’s a random game, so why would I be any better at playing it than anyone else?

 

You were playing for charity – tell me about your chosen charity.

The team knew exactly what charity I would say. The production team knows that for nearly 20 years I’ve supported Children’s Hospice South West. I’ve seen that organisation grow from the first hospice in Devon – there’s now one in Cornwall, and there’s one just outside Bristol. I know the founder, Eddie Farwell, very well. I love the charity, and I think what they’ve achieved for children with life-limiting conditions, and for their siblings and their parents, what they achieve is awesome.