Over 3,000 applicants originally applied
for your role as resident statistician on Yorkshire TVs
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 wed
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 couldnt find anyone.
Richard has since told me that Denise wasnt 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 "dont be ridiculous". In 1982 you have
to remember that people on telly were big stars, there wasnt
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 hadnt
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 hadnt 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
didnt matter then whether the carpets were old or curtains
didnt 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. Id like
to do some more in about five years time, when I could broadcast
from home (when the technologys there). Its 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 hadnt started by
that time). The boss said that he thought I wasnt very good
and had no future in telly: hed 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 wont bore you with the rest
but Ive never considered myself to be a presenter funnily
enough: Ive had a production company, written books, produced
shows, you name it I try to gain as much experience as possible.
Thats the wonderful thing about life, its so rich
with potential experience: youve just got to keep on knocking
on doors with good ideas and someone will eventually give in and
say yes.
Youre 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
Im 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 mens magazines, so that they can gain publicity.
I dont like this trend at all. It is taking women back to
the 70s when they were just on telly to look good. Im told
that its post modern: I dont 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 its
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.
Youve 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.
Im not the most practical of people, probably because there
wasnt really anyone in the house who was into cars (we didnt
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. Im
always on the Net and just love the fact that Im living
in a time of true revolution. Its 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 Ill
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.
Youre most famous for your arithmetic
skills. Is maths something youre really passionate about
or just a useful skill that helped kickstart your career?
Oh yes, Im passionate about Maths although Im nowhere
near achieving the very highest academic standards: when Ive
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). Ive
just accepted a voluntary position to help the governments
new push in maths, called MATHS YEAR 2000.
How difficult is it to juggle a successful
career with family life?
Its not easy at all. My Mum lives with us and she runs our
home life when were 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 dont
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.
Ive now realised that whatever makes YOU happy is what you
should aspire to: provided its not hurting anyone else.
Im happy working: I love what I do now and Ill love
what Ill be doing in ten years time, whatever it may be.
I have a voracious appetite and interest in so many things that
Im sure Ill be able to keep myself busy. More time
relaxing? Not if I dont want to.
Carols Trivia.
Whats your favourite TV programme
and why?
It used to be Inspector Morse, but now its 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
Whats 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 hes talking about.