Unmissable show?
Crashing. I really enjoyed it, even though it was ever-so-slightly depressing. It seems quite resonant with the current London rental lifestyle. I rejected the idea of being a property guardian a few years ago, but Crashing has definitely cemented my decision.
Earliest TV memory?
Me and my sister trying to make 90s telly interactive when we were aged seven. For Top Of The Pops we’d get dressed up as if we were going out clubbing, and we’d steal Mum’s lipstick and then as soon as TOTP started have it on at full volume and flick the lounge light switch on and off as though we were in a disco. We’d also play along to Blind Date by blindfolding each other, and then work out who we’d pick for the date by the voices and the answers. It was a window on to an adult world.
Bring back…
Katie Puckrik told me about an ITV show she hosted with Claudia Winkleman called Pyjama Party. I looked it up on YouTube and it’s the two of them hosting this live sleepover. The entire audience is dressed up in pyjamas. It’s quite surreal and really fast-paced. I’d love it to come back.
Pitch us a TV show…
I have this idea for a live show called Heartbreak Hotel. It would be set up like a Fawlty Towers hotel and filmed somewhere like Blackpool, so you get this real sense of mayhem. It would have a gameshow element to it, with an ex-couple who had suffered heartbreak facing off. We’d let them battle it out to win their dream holiday. At the end, whoever wins is given the option of inviting their ex-partner to come with them. I would make it as fun as possible – I’d try not to have too many dark divorce stories in there!
Guilty pleasure?
Don’t Tell The Bride. I’ve been known to shed a tear. And Ru Paul’s Drag Race. I wouldn’t say that’s a guilty pleasure: the only guilt is that I usually watch it hungover! I love the format, I love the visuals. Even the title emblem is brilliant.
Gemma Cairney hosts The Surgery on BBC Radio 1, Wednesday, 9pm
