Genius: a radio/TV show that offers you the chance to prove you're a genius. Sort of.
Genius started on Radio 4 in 2004 and is still going strong. We made three series for radio before transferring it to TV. We then made a Christmas special for radio and in June 2010 we finished taping a new series of 6 episodes for BBC2. I don't know when they'll be on yet. But when I do... I'll be shouting about it.
The show has been through lots of little tweaks and changes since it first started - but the new series is radically different to anything we've done before. It's always been hugely enjoyable to work on but this year it feels like we really stepped up a gear. The first telly series looked like this:
Or to be even more precise, like this:
The second telly series is going to look very different.
Whereas in the past we've heard from 4,5 and if we're very lucky, 6, potential geniuses in each episode in the new format we have a crowd of nearly 70 people all of whom could be in the show. We still plan a few things but there's lots more room for improvisation than there used to be and it feels a lot fresher as a result. We now have two guests per show too, a more intimate setting and to make more time for more ideas we've done away with the trophy too.
I guess what follows is a description of the show that's already been on the wireless or the TV... I'll wait until the new show is all polished up and shiny before explaining more of what's changed...
Old Genius
On the show, members of the public pitch their ideas to a celebrity guest "genius." The guest then decides whether or not the idea is clever enough to mark them out as a genius. At the end of the show, the guests two favourite ideas are put to the public who then decide which one of them gets to win the fabled Genius Trophy. Some people might think it's all a load of nonsense but I beg to differ. I think the show has helped Britain to increase its stock of
The filming for the first TV series was completed in October 2008. It's strange making a first series of something that already has an enjoyable history to it... because we have to disregard that history and start with a clean slate, as if it has never existed before because - presumably - that's how most viewers are going to see it. I've really enjoyed the process of re-examining it - and my habits - and creating something that is both new and familiar... and I'm really pleased with the results.
Here's how Genius has panned out on the radio so far:
The first series was broadcast towards the end of 2005 and featured the following
guests: Paul Daniels, Richard Madeley, John Fortune,
Neil Innes and Stewart Lee.
The second series was broadcast Radio 4 starting in September 2006. The guests were Johnny Vegas, Carol Vorderman, Brian Sewell, Chris Addison, Sid Waddell, and Armando Iannucci.
The third series was broadcast on Radio 4 starting in October 2007. It featured the guests, Robert Newman, Germaine Greer, Simon Munnery, Gyles Brandreth, Matthew Wright and Charlie Brooker.
The first TV series was broadcast on BBC2 starting in March 2009. It featured the guests, Catherin Tate, Frank Skinner, Jonathan Pryce, Johnny Vegas, Germaine Greer and Stewart Lee.
Trophy winning ideas have included helium filled bubble wrap to make parcels lighter and postage cheaper, breeding miniature elephants to be household pets, building lego prisons, a microwave/CD player that selects a tune of the right duration to go with the required cooking time and Tetris - the movie.
We're always looking for new "genius" ideas for the show. If you'd like to appear on the show and think you might be a genius, send us an e-mail with your idea to: genius@bbc.co.uk
Genius on CD
The first two radio series are currently available on CD.
The first TV series aired on BBC2 in 2009.
Buy the first series, second or third radio series.
