Bright sparks

JAMIE THEAKSTON and Zoe Ball were one of television’s most popular presenting partnerships throughout the Ninties, with shows such as The Priory, Live & Kicking and Top of the Pops attracting millions of viewers.

Jamie and Zoe went their separate ways when The Priory was cancelled in 2001, but it was abundantly clear that the duo had forged a strong bond and it was only a matter of time before they were reunited on the small screen.

So it comes as no surprise that Theakston jumped at the chance to work with Ball again on Britain’s Best Brain.

He says: “It’s almost like going back to how things should be because over the past ten years I’ve worked with lots of other female co-hosts and I guess you always measure them against the first one you worked with.”

The pair’s latest collaboration is likely to prove popular with viewers and give the flagging game show genre a timely kick up the backside.

Britain’s Best Brain sees five players compete in challenges that assess five different parts of the brain.

It’s not about general knowledge, it’s about brain function as Theakston and Ball test contestants for numeracy, memory, co-ordination, recognition and risk – which make up the five main parts of the brain.

Some may well think it’s not worth cramming another game show into what is already a saturated market.

But Threakston thinks Britain’s Best Brain has something more to offer than the normal run-of-the-mill shows which litter the daytime television schedules.

“I think there’s certainly room for a show like this because it’s never really been done before. You have traditional notions of intellect depending on how well educated you are about your acquired knowledge,” he says.

“But, it’s not about that, it’s also not about pushing people’s physical fitness – it is about how your brain functions so it’s not like an IQ test. It’s celebrating what you know you’re good at and unlocking the potential in your brain you never knew you had.”

Mensa member Jamie could be forgiven for thinking he would score well on the show, but he admits he didn’t cover himself in glory when he played the game during rehearsals.

“There were elements of my short-term memory that were quite good, but I guess taking the fact into account that you have to be quite good at everything, I don’t think I’d go particularly far,” he says.

While he might not make a decent contestant, he certainly makes one heck of a television presenter, and it’s safe to say the nation can’t wait to see Jamie and Zoe back together again.

HE’S famous for taking the most obscure foodstuffs in the kitchen, adding a little razzle-dazzle and making a dish fit for a slightly demented king.

One thing with which Heston Blumenthal is not synonymous is quick and easy convenience food.

This is probably why it came as such a surprise to the culinary community when earlier this year, he took on an extraordinary challenge as he tried to breathe some culinary life back into Little Chef, one of Britain’s most familiar but troubled food brands.

Six months after the critically acclaimed opening of the Popham branch, Heston is back to find out if the restaurant he transformed is still up to scratch, whether profits are up, and, if so, whether Little Chef is planning to roll out his concept as a model for the rest of the chain.

And, against all odds, has Heston changed Little Chef at Popham to the extent that it can win entry to The Good Food Guide?

JIMMY Doherty continues his exploration of supermarket foods, focusing on the typical ingredients in sandwiches. He begins by testing the bread and asking how it stays soft for so long. He then checks processed cheese and the way salads are kept bugfree, and finally discovers how suppliers manage to grow tomatoes out of season. As ever, the results are intriguing, if a little disturbing.