Bolton-born Clive Myrie excitement at hosting Mastermind

BOLTON-born Clive Myrie has spoken of his excitement at taking over as the host of BBC’s flagship quiz show, Mastermind, and reminiscing about growing up opposite Burnden Park in an interview with The Bolton News.

A regular presenter of BBC ‘s News At Six and News At Ten programmes since 2010, the 56-year-old former Hayward Grammar School pupil has previously worked as the broadcaster’s correspondent in Asia, Africa, Washington, Paris and Brussels.

He is set to replace John Humphrys at the helm of the long-running BBC quiz show ­â€" becoming the show’s fifth host on its 50th anniversary year ­â€" with the first show of the new series to air at 7.30pm on Monday on BBC Two and iPlayer.

He said: “To be the presenter isn’t just an honour but a pleasure too and I’ve got huge shoes to fill after John Humphrys.

“I grew up in Bolton watching it with Magnus Magnusson. It’s such a staple of British television and part of our cultural furniture in this country.

“It’s daunting, yet very exciting at the same time.”

He said his first reaction was “disbelief” when he was asked to take over from Humphrys.

He said: “I thought wow, I’m going to be presenting Mastermind. It’s really quite amazing, I still can’t quite believe it.”

“Going into the studio for the first time then hearing the music and the four contenders lined up ready to go. I still pinch myself to this day.

“It was part of my education as a kid watching Mastermind, University Challenge, trying to answer as many questions as I could.

“As well as watching programmes like Whicker’s World and watching the news particularly with Trevor McDonald.”

Clive speaks fondly of his time growing up in Manchester Road opposite Burnden Park football ground as well as attending Hayward Grammar (now ESSA Academy).

“I thoroughly enjoyed my school days and growing up, playing on the back streets on my bike with my friends. It was classic terraced housing back-to-back and I absolutely loved it,” he said.

“Growing up watching TV I was there was a whole big wide world out there that I wanted to explore.

“People like Trevor McDonald and his reporting from all over the place and Alan Whicker. One minute he’d be doing stories on Geishas in Kyoto the next minute he’d be in Haiti ­â€" he was all over the place.”

He said he was delighted that fellow Boltonian Paddy McGuinness had also taken over an iconic quiz show, A Question of Sport.

“We’re taking over man!It’s how it should be, the Bolton Mafia,” he laughed.

Clive grew up playing musical instruments at Hayward, as well as touring in Europe and doing local shows with the Bolton Youth Orchestra.

He said: “School had a really really good music department. I played violin and the trumpet which was a big deal for me along with public speaking, which is why I probably ended up in the job I’m in.

“The school had great links with the Bolton Youth Orchestra and we did loads of concerts in Bolton and Manchester.

“I remember touring Holland and Germany with the orchestra so music was the big thing for me growing up.”

Bolton has been in the national spotlight and on national news plenty of times over the last 18 months with the town hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Clive in his role as a BBC News host presented this news to the nation on many occasions.

“It was very sad to see and be reporting on Bolton on the news during this time,” he said.

“My brother still lives in Bolton but many of my family have moved to the Midlands over the years so my connection with the town has certainly fractured, after going to university and living abroad.

“But my psychological ties with Bolton are very much still there so it was very sad to see.”

Despite growing up opposite Burnden Park and watching some of Wanderers greats there, he reveals that he is in fact a Manchester City supporter.

Hayward Grammar School, now ESSA Academy

“I would go there every now and then but I’m not a Bolton fan, I mostly went there when they played Manchester City but my whole family are United fans so from that point of view I had a pretty difficult childhood,” he says sarcastically.

“Man City had some success while I was growing up and thankfully when they were not successful I was living abroad so could avoid it.

“I saw Frank Worthington play at the ground many times so it was incredibly sad news when I saw that he had died recently.”

Clive ends by expressing how much he is looking forward to the release of the new series of Mastermind with all the shows having already been recorded in Northern Ireland.

He also reveals what his specialist subject might be if he were in the opposite chair.

“Possibly a history of Man City from the 1970s, although I’d be a rabbit in the headlights in the contestants’ chair so I have no idea really!

I’m a big opera fan also so that could work and I’ve been a correspondent in the states for a long time so the American presidency might be one for me too.

“But as I say I think I would be rubbish as a contestant and I tip my hat to the contenders who put themselves under that pressure.

He added: “There’s no money for winning the show.

“It’s just the kudos of being Britain’s Mastermind and I think that’s testament to the power of the show.”

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