Over 3,000 applicants originally applied for your role as resident statistician on Yorkshire TV’s Countdown. What made you apply for the vacancy and why do you think you got the job?
In 1982, my mum and I moved to Leeds. About 3 weeks after we’d moved in Mum was reading the local newspaper, Yorkshire Evening Post, and there was an article about Countdown. Countdown had begun as a short pilot series of 6 shows known as Calendar Countdown, and had just been shown in the Yorkshire Television region. Richard Whiteley was the host of the local evening news programme at the time and he had presented Calendar Countdown. They also had someone to answer the numbers game called Denise (I think). Well, the article said that Denise (?) was going off to university and they needed someone to replace her and they couldn’t find anyone. Richard has since told me that Denise wasn’t so good at the Maths and that was the reason why, but he might just be saying that to keep me happy. Anyway, Mum said "you should apply for this" as mental arithmetic had always been my thing. I said "don‘t be ridiculous". In 1982 you have to remember that people on telly were big stars, there wasn’t any breakfast television, there were only 3 channels and no satellite or cable, so the chances of breaking into TV in those days was minimal. On top of all that, I had never wanted to work in the media — I wanted to work with computers (PCs hadn’t even been thought of by that time — they were called microcomputers). So Mum wrote a letter, signed it on my behalf and sent it in. Weeks later I had to do a Countdown test and they were so desperate that I got the job.

When you started working on the programme, did you instinctively know it would be a success, or did you think it would be a single series confined to the archives forever?
I hadn’t a clue. I carried on with my job selling computers for a year and then when Countdown was recommissioned, I thought I would try to make a bit of career in TV. I gave up my job and Mum and I (we were buying a house together) had enough money to get by. Even though we can afford a lot of things now, it just didn’t matter then whether the carpets were old or curtains didn’t join in the middle (we had pegs to keep them together): we were having a good time and had lots of friends in lucky Leeds.

Once your role within Countdown was secure, how long did it take you to break into other areas of TV?
I was offered a local radio show on Radio Aire, and gained very valuable experience: radio is a wonderful medium. I’d like to do some more in about five years time, when I could broadcast from home (when the technology’s there). It’s just the best fun. I was known as Roots Vorderman as I dyed my hair blonde for about a year and my roots always showed (such class!). Then the head of the local news shows offered me bits of presenting work which I loved. Actually Richard Whiteley suggested to the boss at the time that he made me into the local weather girl (there was no such thing in those days as Tvam hadn’t started by that time). The boss said that he thought I wasn’t very good and had no future in telly: he’d said the same thing about Richard Madeley and Zenab Badawi in their time too so I was in good company.
Eventually, I started to work as a researcher on education programmes and wrote a number of programme proposals for Channel 4. One was accepted, it was called So We Bought a Computer, and I went on to research and present it. I won’t bore you with the rest but I’ve never considered myself to be a presenter funnily enough: I’ve had a production company, written books, produced shows, you name it I try to gain as much experience as possible. That’s the wonderful thing about life, it’s so rich with potential experience: you’ve just got to keep on knocking on doors with good ideas and someone will eventually give in and say ‘yes’.

You’re one of the few women on television to have earned the respect of the masses by your intellect rather than your looks. Was this intentional or accidental?
I suppose this was accidental. If I had started by choosing the letters rather than answering the numbers game, then everyone would have just assumed that I was a bimbo. The thing is I would never have applied for a job choosing letters from a box, although I’m more than happy to do it now. TV is changing and there are far more presenters who are well educated on the box. One of the biggest problems I think is the new fashion for female presenters to have very sexy photos taken for the plethora of modern men’s magazines, so that they can gain publicity. I don’t like this trend at all. It is taking women back to the 70s when they were just on telly to look good. I’m told that it’s post modern: I don’t believe it. It will work for a few, but the message being given out to teenagers is that if you want to be famous then you have to be loud and get your kit off. For years, the generation above me fought for women to be respected for their skills: that was real woman power.

Much of your work has an educational theme. Can you explain why this area holds such an interest for you?
I was brought up in North Wales in the 60s and 70s when there was little opportunity for youngsters. My mother brought up her 3 children by herself, she had little money and wanted the best for us. For most people who want to change their circumstances, education is the way to do it. If you get a good education, it will affect what job you get (fact), how much you earn (fact), where you live (fact), who your friends are, what experiences you gain in life, what you can do for your children. It is the most vital single resource we have to change our own lives and the wealth of the nation. For that reason, I use every opportunity I have to promote good education and its value. And it’s also for that reason that I get frustrated by mixed media messages where the very few loud and brash who do well are feted above all others, because the truth is very different for the majority.

Do you believe that puzzles have educational value, and that people can improve their brainpower by doing puzzles on a regular basis?
Puzzles are a great way to keep the grey matter going. We have a number of older people on Countdown who demonstrate that the brain is the most important ‘muscle’ to exercise. In fact, recent research has shown this to be the case and if you happen to stretch your mind with puzzles rather than Shakespeare then so be it. Good on you.

You’ve recently become quite involved in several Internet projects. Does technology fascinate you in general or are you interested in the Internet in particular?
I read Engineering at Cambridge University (graduated in 1981) so my interest in technology has been there from a young age. I’m not the most practical of people, probably because there wasn’t really anyone in the house who was into cars (we didn’t have a car) but I love technology of all sorts. My particular thing has always been computing. At university we had to programme machines in Fortran, now an ancient art, but so exciting. I’m always on the Net and just love the fact that I’m living in a time of true revolution. It’s like the Wild West, the Gold Rush and the industrial revolution all rolled into one. I could take eighteen pages to answer this question but maybe I’ll leave it for another time. I do write a section for The Mirror newspaper called carol @ mirror.co.uk every Thursday which I love doing.

You’re most famous for your arithmetic skills. Is maths something you’re really passionate about or just a useful skill that helped kickstart your career?
Oh yes, I’m passionate about Maths although I’m nowhere near achieving the very highest academic standards: when I’ve got a bit of time on my hands 20 years from now, I might just do a maths degree (my first degree was in engineering). I’ve just accepted a voluntary position to help the government’s new push in maths, called MATHS YEAR 2000.

How difficult is it to juggle a successful career with family life?
It’s not easy at all. My Mum lives with us and she runs our home life when we’re not around. We are very lucky because we operate on an extended family principle, very like it was years ago or how it is today in Asian families. This is a huge 90s problem, as more and more women go out to work: 50% of the workforce is female. I have so many friends who have a much bigger problem than me because they have to rely on nannies who they don’t really know, or put their children into daycare from being just a few months old.

Can you ever see yourself giving up your career and taking more time out to relax?
I used to think that giving up work was something to aspire to. I’ve now realised that whatever makes YOU happy is what you should aspire to: provided it’s not hurting anyone else. I’m happy working: I love what I do now and I’ll love what I’ll be doing in ten years time, whatever it may be. I have a voracious appetite and interest in so many things that I’m sure I’ll be able to keep myself busy. More time relaxing? Not if I don’t want to.

Carols Trivia.

What’s your favourite TV programme and why?
It used to be Inspector Morse, but now it’s probably A Touch of Frost. I also love Frasier, Men Behaving Badly, Better Homes (is that cheating?) and one offs like Cold Feet or something with Steve Irwin (the Australian naturalist nutter).

Do you play a musical instrument?
NO

Are you a sporty person?
NO

What’s your all-time favourite film?
Godfather, Godfather II

Are you left-handed or right-handed?
Right handed

What frightens you most in life?
Being out of control — first cause of stress.

What makes you smile?
My family make me smile most of all, but so does Richard Whiteley when he forgets what he’s talking about.