Genius
Hosting Genius is definitely one of the most enjoyable jobs I've done.
On the show, members of the public pitch their ideas to a celebrity guest "genius." The guest then decides whether or not the idea is clever enough to mark them out as a genius. At the end of the show, the guests two favourite ideas are put to the public who then decide which one of them gets to win the fabled Genius Trophy. Some people might think it's all a load of nonsense but I beg to differ. I think the show has helped Britain to increase its stock of geniuses.
The first series was broadcast on Radio 4 towards the end of 2005 and featured the following guests: Paul Daniels, Richard Madeley, John Fortune, Neil Innes and Stewart Lee.
The second series was broadcast Radio 4 starting in September 2006. The guests were Johnny Vegas, Carol Vorderman, Brian Sewell, Chris Addison, Sid Waddell, and Armando Iannucci.
The third series was broadcast on Radio 4 starting in October 2007. It featured the guests, Robert Newman, Germaine Greer, Simon Munnery, Gyles Brandreth, Matthew Wright and Charlie Brooker.
Trophy winning ideas have included helium filled bubble wrap to make parcels lighter and postage cheaper, breeding miniature elephants to be household pets, building lego prisons, a microwave/CD player that selects a tune of the right duration to go with the required cooking time and Tetris - the movie.
We're always looking for new "genius" ideas for the show. If you'd like to appear on the show and think you might be a genius, send us an e-mail with your idea to: genius@bbc.co.uk
Genius on CD
The first series is currently available on CD.
The second series is released on January 1, 2008.
