SMART TV!

ALAN CARR and SUSIE DENT on searching for ordinary people with extraordinary minds

- WORDS: STEVEN PERKINS

SECRET GENIUS

NEW SUNDAY & MONDAY, 9PM, C4 REALITY

Could you possess an incredible intellect without even realising it? This is the question explored in new C4 series Secret Genius.

Created in consultation with high-IQ society British Mensa, the six-part competition hosted by comedian Alan Carr and Countdown's resident lexicographer Susie Dent brings together individuals from across the UK to test their puzzle-solving skills.

There will be 48 people competing in four regional heats, but only the three brightest minds from each will advance to the final - held in Oxford - where the overall series winner will be decided.

TV Times caught up with Alan, 49, and Susie, 61, to find out more...

Why did this show appeal to you?

SUSIE First and foremost, it was the kindness of it; this isn't humiliation, it's validation. It is about the workings of the brain, but not in the traditional academic sense. We're testing a sort of innate intelligence that a lot of people don't realise they have, and I love the idea of sending them on their way with a new confidence in their hearts.

ALAN It also gives people a second chance to release their potential, as well as challenges stereotypes by asking us what we think intelligence is.

What type of tasks can we expect to see?