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 Meet our very own Programme Controller, Ed Bolton! Ed will be featuring as a contestant on "Beauty and the Geek" - a new show airing on E4 in February and Channel 4 in March.
Beauty and the Geek tasks a collection of "geeks" to complete some very 'un-geeky' tasks such as sampling the local nightlife, while tasking "beauties" (models, page 3 girls) with scientific problems and practical logic.
On the show Ed explains his choice of interesting supper food, his degree, and of course his favourite job - running CUR1350 (and he's not the other kind of "amateur radio enthusiast")!
We caught up with Ed to ask him a bit about the TV show...
Show Partner...
My partner on the show was Sam. I like to think of her as the show's
underdog; she's surrounded by six older girls who all have some experience of the modelling industry- whereas she's just an 18 year old waitress from Essex. That's not to say she doesn't have a forceful personality; I've always thought of myself as overly honest to the point of tactlessness, but I think she went the extra mile.
Initially I thought she was the token Essex girl until I learned that Alex
was from Essex as well...what I end up thinking of her you'll have to wait
and see; after all, until the show's aired, I won't know exactly what she
made of me!
Hardest Task...
Every week, the blokes have to complete one challenge. The format is such that I could have competed in any number from 1 to 5. They would be things like dancing and massage. Although they're pressured, you can enjoy them because it's not the end of the world if you lose. Far worse would surely be the elimination process at the end of every show in which two couples have to compete for their right to stay in the castle (except in episode 6 where they compete for the small matter of £40k).
Everyone had to go through it and although it appears as a 5 minute sequence on the show, it would take at least half an hour to film, and the tension would always be building. It doesn't help that the other couples get to watch it all from the gallery above.
Competitiveness...
Generally the guys were there for the experience and the gals for the
exposure, but everyone's motivation varied. I'd be lying if I said no-one
cared. I'd be lying if I said that people didn't prepare intensely for both
the challenges and subsequent eliminations. I might even be lying if I said that competitors spied on each other, but it all depended on individuals. I'm sure we'll see who people really are when the show is aired.
Channel 4 launch...
Initially the show will be aired on E4 in six weekly episodes starting
10:00pm on February 7th. After that run it'll be repeated starting the 12th March mid-afternoon. On the 31st, it starts on Channel 4 at 10:30pm before being repeated the next day on T4 so there's no excuse not to see it.
Remaining objective, I think it's a fantastic concept where you put two
diametrically opposed people together and see what happens. Judging by the atmosphere on set, it's not going to be car crash stuff full of arguments but could instead be a really heartwarming series. The American series was critically acclaimed, and the producers definitely saw the show as potentially being a new kind of reality TV.
Hit it off with the girls...
A lot of the girls had boyfriends (I think all but a couple) so the show was clearly never intended as a dating show. I think viewers are supposed to see much more meaningful relationships develop than a few insecure girls hitting it off with a few love starved guys. Whether that's a fantasy or it happens again will be revealed when the show gets screened!
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CUR1350s playout system plays all the best new & classic music.