Who's got the bright stuff?

Alan Carr and Susie Dent team up to uncover Britain's most gifted minds in a fascinating new competition

- WORDS: LAUREN MORRIS

lan Carr is looking for Britain's hidden brainboxes in his new Channel 4 show — and admits that it’s the perfect role after his triumphant Celebrity Traitors win last year.

The comedian teams up with Countdown’s resident wordsmith Susie Dent in Secret Genius to find individuals across the country with untapped intelligence. Having started filming the day after winning Celebrity Traitors, Alan, 49, could relate to being the underdog.

“I really liked it because it challenges what people think intelligence is,” he says. “I did it straight after Celebrity Traitors and it made sense because I've had all that time in the castle being underestimated by people. I just love the idea of challenging stereotypes and prejudices.”

While Oxford graduate Susie has never been overlooked academically, the show did take her back to school — where she struggled for different reasons.

“I was a major swot and I have always felt slightly weird,” admits Susie, 61. “I’ve felt slightly self-conscious about that because those were the days when it wasn’t cool to be a swot.

“Whereas now, being a nerd and a geek is becoming much cooler. For me, it's a question of confidence.”