Carol Vorderman, known for her long-standing role on the beloved quiz show Countdown since 1982, has been a familiar face on British television, appearing in a variety of programmes including Loose Women and Have I Got News for You.
Her career also spans appearances on several celebrity reality shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, and The Great Celebrity Bake-Off. However, in a recent interview on Sally Lindsay’s podcast A Night In, Vorderman revealed that not all of these experiences were enjoyable.
Reflecting on her participation in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing, Vorderman shared how fellow contestant Clare Sweeney encouraged her to join the show. Despite this, she admitted, “I hated it.” Partnered with professional dancer Paul Killick, her time on the programme was fairly brief. She concluded on the matter with a firm statement: “I won’t do that again. Not that they’d ever ask.”
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Vorderman, who is also noted for her outspoken political commentary alongside her mathematical expertise, made it clear there are certain shows she would refuse to appear on. Discussing Big Brother, she said, “I would never do Big Brother. I’d be cancelled before I set foot through the bloody door.”
The Countdown star also reflected candidly on her period working on the BBC’s signature science series, Tomorrow’s World, describing it as an experience she would not choose to repeat. She outlined how, after a lengthy tenure on Countdown and various educational and science programmes, the BBC approached her agent with an offer.
“The BBC rang up my agent one day and said, ‘we’d really like to talk to you – we’re thinking of changing all the presenters on Tomorrow’s World because a focus group told us they’d like Carol Vorderman,'” she recalled. The role, requiring just one day a week, came with a favourable fee secured by her agent. However, difficulties soon arose when the contract stipulated exclusivity to the BBC, preventing her from continuing on Countdown.
Vorderman was clear in her response: “I rang my agent and said, ‘That’s never going to happen. I’m not giving Countdown up ever.'” After negotiation, the BBC relaxed their conditions, allowing her to join Tomorrow’s World.
While filming in Australia, she received a call instructing her to contact her agent. BBC executives had discovered her previous appearances in advertising soap powder, leading to disputes and her eventual dismissal from both Tomorrow’s World and other BBC engagements, including a Radio Times column.
She fiercely contested the decision through the media, highlighting what she perceived as injustice: “I wrote articles saying ‘Hang on, this is just sexism. I’m sacked for doing an advert when Noel Edmonds is doing Maxwell House coffee adverts and Terry Wogan was doing British Gas.'”
Although Vorderman returned to Countdown shortly after, the BBC soon experienced a drop in Tomorrow’s World’s viewing figures following her departure. She was invited to meet the programme’s editor, who asked her to return unofficially, cautioning, “If you tell anyone that we’ve offered you your job back, we will deny it.”
Vorderman recounted her reaction: “I said, ‘Fine.’ Then I rang my agent and we decided to keep them waiting until shortly before transmission, and then told them where to go. That’s what we did!”