Countdown star Rachel Riley shared some insights into her famous colleagues as she revealed the hidden side to one who she praised as “one of the smartest people I know”
TV star Rachel Riley has lifted the lid on what one of her famous co-star’s is like behind the camera. The maths whizz has made a name for herself on Countdown and its comedy spin-off 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown.
The latter programme has given her the chance to work with some of British comedy’s biggest stars, including the late Sean Lock, Jon Richardson, and Jimmy Carr. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant spoke glowingly about one of her colleagues in particular.
Speaking on the Shoot Your Shot podcast, Rachel revealed what her friend Jimmy is really like behind the scenes as she praised him as “one of the smartest people I know” and really empathetic. It came as Rachel’s husband says “my heart was torn to pieces” as he embarked on a huge career change.
Rachel said: “I love Jimmy. He’s great. He’s done more podcasts recently so people get to see how thoughtful he is. One of the smartest people I know. Really empathetic. You’re not going to get anyone in the business for shutting down heckles.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work with comedians pretty much since the start of my career and you see how their brains work. The quickest, sharpest people. They can think of the jokes and also whether it’s appropriate like that.”
The 40-year-old went on to says how much she has learned from working with top comedians. She added: “It’s just so much fun and watching their method. We’ve done 8 Out of 10 Cats. It was a one off and we’ve done over 200 now so you see them perform in front of an audience. You see everyone laughing and you see everyone fall flat on their faces and it’s when they fall flat that you often get the best humour.”
The mum-of-two also spoke warmly about another of her TV colleagues. Susie Dent, famous for her role in ‘Dictionary Corner’ also stars with Rachel on Channel 4 show Countdown and its comedy spin-off 8 Out of 10 Cats.
According to Rachel, with the 61-year-old, “what you see is what you get”. Rachel and her Countdown colleagues apparently have a amusing and “ironic” two-word nickname for Susie who, like Rachel, was educated at the University of Oxford.
Speaking to the podcast, Rachel said: We ended up in a chemist buying a metre-long hot water bottle on our last trip. Like a really long one that you can wrap around yourself because it was cold. Boozy Suzy is just the thing that we call her because it is so ironic.
“She’s great, she’s lovely. What you see is what you get. The jokes on 8 Out of 10 Cats do Countdown. Jimmy’s running joke is that she is simultaneously the most boring woman on the planet and she’s a sex pest.”
Catch Rachel Riley on Countdown today (Friday, January 30) from 2.10pm to 3pm on Channel 4 where she will be joined by Colin Murray, I’m A Celebrity runner up Tom Read Wilson and Susie Dent.
You can also see her on 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown from 9pm to 10pm on the same channel.