2:20PM, May 21, 2008
We caught up with host Noel Edmonds to see if his general knowledge had improved as a result of the show.
Why do you think Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old has been so successful?
I've no doubt that it's all because we remember our school days, but we all forget why we were there. I think people love to see adults squirming and 10-year-old kids succeeding where the grown-ups fail. It's just such a clever, simple format. We have so much fun with it.
How does series two differ from the first?
The second series has been even more fun for me, because we had contestants coming along having done their homework. They'd talk about how much homework and swotting they'd done, but then the ten subjects would appear on the screen and a look of horror comes across their faces. And we all can relate to that, as we've all turned over the exam paper and thought, "damn, I didn't revise that".
Has your general knowledge increased since you started presenting this show?
Hugely, yes. How many ships were there in Columbus' fleet? 3! And what was the flagship called? It was the Santa Maria and the Queen of Spain, Isabella, paid for it. I'd quite like the opportunity to go back to school and redo all my exams, because I think I might do quite well now.
How have the celebrity contestants been faring?
The celebrity episodes were so much fun, I loved making them. I think it's brave enough for members of the public to come on, but at least they have the chance of winning themselves some money. With the celebs, the money was going to their chosen charities so they were going through this humiliation to benefit other people. We did have a couple of epic games.
What has been your favourite moment on the show so far?
I'll never forget the woman who was asked what England's longest river is, and she said the one on the beginning of Eastenders. Then when I told her that it's the Severn she said, "Don't be daft, none of the rivers are numbered".
What did your school report say about you?
There was a big difference between my primary school report and the reports I got when I went to public school. At primary school I did quite well, I was always in the top three in the class. Apparently I worked quite hard and was very diligent and popular. Then I got a rude shock when I went from this little primary school in Essex to Brentwood public school with 1,000 boys. There I was just very mediocre at everything; I only got in the house football team when someone was run over by the school bus. I passed all my exams, but they were very medium grades.
And what would the report say now?
Edmonds must definitely take life more seriously, must work harder and must show greater respect for those in authority, otherwise he will achieve nothing.
What were your favourite and least favourite subjects at school?
I was useless at maths, I absolutely hated it. I loved history, I really enjoyed it. But that could be because my father was a headmaster and his specialist subject was history. He made history interesting.
If you could change one thing about education what would that be?
I have three daughters, the youngest of whom is 10. I took her to school yesterday and we were talking about school in general and she loves it. She loves her new teacher, she loves her new classroom, she loves everything about it. I hated school, so I don't know what I'd change, given that in the case of my daughter, Alice, she wouldn't change anything - she loves it.
