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Question Time: Justin Lee Collins

Interview,Ben Naylor
Sunday 15 March 2009 21:00 EDT
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Work: 34, lives with his wife Karen and two young sons, Archie and Harvey

Life: 'The Justin Lee Collins Chat Show' is on Thursdays at 10pm on ITV2

Balance: Reading, watching films, learning the paso doble

What's the format of your new ITV show?

It's my shot at Letterman, a chat show but with items that involve members of the audience, who will win retro prizes such as an Etch A Sketch.

What else are you doing?

Six documentaries for Sky 1. In each one, I take on a new challenge. At the moment, I'm learning the paso doble. I've already taken part in a darts tournament and learnt Mexican wrestling. Bring Back... Star Trek will be on in the autumn, then we'll shoot a couple more. I keep asking to do The Goonies, and next on my list is Ghost Busters.

Who is the most difficult celebrity you have had to interview?

Pamela Anderson was incredibly hard work. She would only do one take, regardless of quality. We had to pretend that the first was a rehearsal and record it anyway. She was also convinced that Alan Carr and I were an item.

What was your first break?

MTV Hot in 1997. I was in the BBC New Comedy Awards that year and I made the final in Edinburgh. About two weeks after it was on, a producer at MTV called and said, "Someone saw you on the show and thought you were great. They want you to audition for MTV Hot."

Any jobs you'd rather forget about?

Pirate TV. It was supposed to be a Wayne's World-type show about extreme sports. I didn't click with my co-host, and it was miserable. A lot of hard work for very little payback.

Do you have a dream job?

As a big fan of Eurovision, I wish Wogan hadn't stepped down.

What are your desert-island media?

Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2; The Twilight Zone or maybe Come Dancing; the Bristol Evening Post and Country Life.

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