When the cat was finally out of the bag that Colin Murray was to be the permanent host of Countdown, colleague Susie Dent congratulated him for nabbing 'the best seat on TV' - and for a longtime fan such as himself, she was not wrong.
The 45-year-old had temporarily filled in for Anne Robinson who stepped down as host last year but the Dundonald man could not be happier that he won't be leaving the Channel 4 show anytime soon.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Colin said how it still sometimes stops him in his tracks that he is living the dream he made when he had freshly moved to London aged 24 and told his agent he'd one day like to host Countdown.
Read more: Colin Murray confirmed as permanent host of Countdown
Colin said: "It's weird because we film in advance so for the audience it's a few weeks [since the news was announced] but for me, its a couple of months so it feels like forever because obviously, I was doing it temporarily as well for five or six months.
"I've signed a two-year contract so it is very strange but it never fully sinks in - well, it does and it doesn't. It feels normal to turn up to the Countdown dressing room, put my stuff down, look at my five jumpers for the week and get my notes ready and that's all very normal stuff.
"But at least once every recording day, there is a moment where it just hits me again - it could just be during a numbers round and I'm am like 'oh wow, I am usually playing along at home'. There is something every day that reminds you that you are doing the job that you always wanted to do."
He added: "When you talk to people about Richard Whitely, they always say about how he never stopped loving doing the programme and his ringtone was even the Countdown theme tune so I think I might reflect that kind of passion for the show."
Colin was not joking when he said he too lives and breathes the show like his iconic predecessor, revealing he found himself playing Countdown after a busy week of recordings and hosting his radio show in bed at 2am.
On what he thinks makes Countdown so beloved and a TV staple in many homes, he believes it is because it is a "rare example" of a show where everyone is welcome as they are.
"We get people that come on the show who maybe wouldn't necessarily apply to be on other things and may not feel that is the right environment for them - we have a real connection with guests, they are so real and nobody preps them to say anything or be anything they are not.
"I think it has a real authenticity that people love and I think that is pretty special and I just think the format is pretty special because most quiz shows bank on people staying tuned because all the jeopardy is in the last round and that is not the case with us.
"You are tuning in for the competition yes, but you are not tuning in for some sort of epic premanufactured thing at the end so there is a relaxed feel to Countdown that probably isn't there with others," he explained.
Colin says that the reaction since the big announcement has been very positive.
He continued: "Sometimes you are just right for a show, I don't think that necessarily makes you better than the last person but makes you better suited for that time.
"I think because I have had Countdown on my Twitter feed for 20 years, people know it is from a real place and I think that I love this show in a way that it needs loved so I think that's why those who watch it every week know I'm not lying.
"I don't think they think I am the best presenter that has ever been, I just think they have got a fan in the seat now which helps - that's a big part of it I think, I have that same love that they have."
In December, Countdown has its highest ratings for that month since 2012 - proving that the show's appeal is still alive and well and bringing in new viewers all the time.
In this series, Killyclogher man Cillian McMulkin entered the Countdown hall of fame as he equalled the highest-ever score of 154 and became 2023's first 'Octochamp' and secured a place in the final later this year.
"We haven't had many Octochamps this season and Cillian was right at the start of this series and equalled Tom Stevenson's all-time record for a single show score," Colin commented.
"Cillian is fantastic and for me, whatever happens, this series, he has got to be considered one of the favourites - if not the favourite - to win the end-of-series title when the best come back.
"He is brilliant, really really good and that's the way Countdown is, you come in and become part of the family. How many shows are you still a member of when you been on, you remain part of the team."
He laughed: "You become a Countdowner, like an Olympian, as we bring back our Octochamps for the likes of 'Champions of Champions' every four or five years so there is a real kind of connection that goes beyond just coming on the show."
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