Bright sparks

Alan Carr & Susie Dent on hosting the latest game show described as Bake Off with brains

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Sick of smug, self-confident reality TV wannabes flexing their abs on Love Island and their business plans on The Apprentice?

Then Secret Genius, starring Susie Dent and Alan Carr, could be just the antidote you need.

The show, dubbed "Bake Off with brains", begins on Channel 4 on Sunday and promises to let the contestants’ minds take centre stage.

"There's no one with Turkey teeth, no one with abs," Alan says.

"This is a different kind of person. They do not want to be in the limelight. They don't want to steal my job.

"But they would like a second chance, and they would like a bit of fulfilment.

"Viewers are going to fall in love with these people, I can just tell."

Secret Genius players have been put forward for the series because of their brainpower but have not always been comfortable with their intelligence.

When the show starts with the first of four regional heats, viewers will discover that many of the players suffer from confidence issues.

But as they come together to tackle a series of complex logic games and challenges, set by Mensa, they not only grow in confidence, they find joy from each other.

Alan, 49, said they had all helped each other enormously, having often felt like outcasts from society.

"I'm hoping for a second series and also a Secret Genius wedding," he says.