Mastermind’s Clive Myrie admits he rejected invite to take part twice | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Mastermind host Clive Myrie is known for presenting BBC News and has travelled the world to report from dangerous environments.

He admitted another “scary” aspect of his career was hosting the popular quiz show as he opened up about it being “intimidating”.

In an interview with Express.co.uk and other press, he admitted he had been asked to take part in the celebrity version of the show as a contestant.

However, he rejected the invitation multiple times, feeling as though he wasn’t up to the challenge.

He shared: “It’s too scary, I was asked to be on celeb Mastermind on two occasions before I ended up presenting the whole thing.

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“Part of my personality is to try and relax people as much as possible so I walk into the studio, they are sitting there and they are gripping the chair and I’m like ‘Hello, don’t worry, we are going to have a great time’ and the key is to just try to relax and enjoy it.

“And remember, the entertainment for all the viewers and for me is you getting to the end of the tightrope, getting to the end of the high wire and not falling off.

“The entertainment is not you falling off, it’s you getting to the end and that’s the key, and as soon as you sort of get that across they just relax and then you get a better show.”

He sympathised with the nervous contestants as he admitted the atmosphere was very tense.

“Trust me, when you hear that music come on, it’s pitch dark you can’t see a damn thing,” he shared.

“Then boom – the music comes in and your heart is pumping and it’s really scary.”

Clive had been speaking about his new travel series, Clive Myrie’s Italian Road Trip, during the interview.

When asked if he would do well if subject was Italy, he said: “If I was sitting opposite me, too intimidating.

“I would say ‘No Clive, I can’t make this with you sitting there as you are too intimidating’.”

Clive started hosting Mastermind in August 2021, taking over from John Humphrys.

At the time he said: “It’s an icon of British TV, and it’s being entrusted into my hands.

“It’s a big, big, big job and obviously I’m following the footsteps of John Humphrys, who has been brilliant for so many years, so yes, there’s a level of trepidation.”

Mastermind is available to watch on BBC iPlayer