Frank Skinner to present new BBC iPlayer chat show
The BBC has announced a new weekly talk show hosted by Frank Skinner, to be available exclusively on iPlayer.
In Frank Skinner On Demand With..., the host will be joined each week by a different celebrity guest "to hear about the weird and wonderful programmes they are enjoying on BBC iPlayer, and why - from hidden gems to guilty pleasures".
The BBC explains: "Frank will hang out with his guest at a location where they regularly watch BBC iPlayer - whether that's on a tour bus, in their make-up chair, in their garden on a sun lounger or in the car while waiting to pick the kids up from school."
Lee Mack will be the show's first guest, whilst Zoe Ball will be the focus of the second episode, with Josh Widdicombe talking about his favourite BBC programmes in Episode 3.
The BBC comments: "The show will not only offer viewers the opportunity to get up close and personal with our celebrities, it will also help them find out more about BBC programmes they might not have come across via the BBC's traditional broadcast channels.
"Frank Skinner On Demand With... aims to showcase the breadth and variety of content available on BBC iPlayer in a given week across all genres, from documentaries and comedy, to film, food and music and arts, with a particular focus on titles beyond the 'big hitters'.
"With 40 per cent of BBC iPlayer users watching shows they have never heard of before, Frank Skinner On Demand With... hopes to encourage more people to discover something new to enjoy."
Victoria Jaye from iPlayer comments: "Frank Skinner On Demand With... is not just a cracking entertainment show in its own right, it's also a fantastic way of helping audiences find out more about the wealth of programmes we have in BBC iPlayer.
"We're thrilled Frank is hosting this show - he's a wonderful interviewer, a massive fan of BBC iPlayer and his passion and those of his guests for BBC content is certain to inspire our audience to explore new titles within the service. This show is reinventing 'word of mouth' for the on-demand audience."
Frank Skinner is no stranger to hosting duties. He is currently the presenter of Room 101, and Radio 4 panel show The Rest Is History, both of which are due to return for new series. He also fronts his own weekly show on Absolute Radio. Previous TV chat show formats he has hosted include Frank Skinner's Opinionated, which launched in 2010 and ran for three series; and The Frank Skinner Show, which ran for nine series on ITV between 1995 and 1999.
Talking about his new show, Frank Skinner says: "As a kid, I had a recurring dream that I was alone in the local toy shop and could help myself to anything I fancied. BBC iPlayer feels a bit like that dream. But now I'm allowed to take a playmate, to show me the things they love that I might have missed. And everything they reach for tells me more and more about them. Come and join us in the best toy shop ever."
Frank Skinner On Demand With... will launch on BBC iPlayer on Friday 13th November.