What are Alan Carr’s best TV shows?

We’ve had plenty of TV shows over the years designed to test the nation’s intelligence. Who, for instance, could forget Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? – a question which the country’s over-10s emphatically answered “no”.

But it has been a while since we went on a proper nationwide scavenger hunt to look for smarty pants. Secret Genius looks set to right that wrong, as Alan Carr and Susie Dent scour the nation to test Britain’s brainpower and to uncover the country’s most gifted and unsung minds.

It stands to reason that geniuses aren’t just people at the top of society (in fact, in a lot of cases, it’s usually a good indicator that they’re not geniuses). So, this unlikely double act is teaming up with Mensa, the world’s largest high-IQ society, to find the overlooked people who are smarter than the nation’s top boffins… but never knew it.

We’ve all worked with people who don’t realise the full extent of their talents (and have been managed by a few who don’t realise their lack thereof). This show aims to find geniuses everywhere and challenge long-held stereotypes about the kind of jobs they might do. As Alan puts it: “From your mum’s hairdresser to that bloke from over the road, you might be surprised who’s a complete clever clogs.”

You can catch the first episode of this six-part series and play along at home to test your own cleverness when Secret Genius begins on Channel 4 HD (CH 104) at 9pm on Sunday 1 February. Once it airs, you’ll be able to watch the series on the Channel 4 app or on Catch Up (if your TV box doesn’t have the Channel 4 app).

Host Alan Carr might not be a genius – at least according to Susie Dent – but his career trajectory right now certainly feels very smart. After the country fell hard for the comedian during his stint on The Celebrity Traitors, it seems we can’t get enough of Alan – and long may it continue. We’re especially excited about his confirmed casting in series 2 of Prime Video’s Last One Laughing UK.

While Alan might be best known as a stand-up comic, he’s forged quite a path on our screens in a variety of interesting formats. We’ve rounded up Alan Carr’s best TV shows you can stream right now on Virgin Media TV. Here we go…

Stream series 1-29 now in Apps > Channel 4

Secret Genius will not be the first time that Alan Carr has shared the screen with the dictionary’s biggest fan, top lexicographer Susie Dent. As of writing, Alan has appeared on Cats Does Countdown a whopping 16 times. While he’s always hilarious and worth the entrance fee any time he’s on, unlike many of the comedians who come on the show, he’s also not too bad at the actual Countdown bit of the show as well. While Alan’s last appearance was on the first episode of series 27 at the start of 2025, we’d bet money that Alan will be returning for more letters and numbers soon.

Stream episodes from series 7 + 9-16 in on demand

It was compared at the time to the BBC’s juggernaut chat show The Graham Norton Show, but the chaos of Chatty Man meant it was really Channel 4’s spiritual successor to his far more outrageous precursor, So Graham Norton. Seeing guests like Taylor Swift tuck into Alan’s drinks trolley (she iconically went for a White Ace cider, RRP 99p) and being far more relaxed and, well, chatty than on other shows made it must-see television. In a world of podcasts and everyone seeking to force viral moments in celebrity interviews, Chatty Man was ahead of its time.

Stream series 1-3 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

In a recent episode of Alan’s excellent podcast Life’s A Beach, guest Jon Richardson took aim at TV quizzes that are just a bit too easy, with a bit of a dig at Picture Slam. But we don’t know what show he’s watching, because we find it all quite difficult. In each round, contestants have to quickly identify images on a full board against the clock. It’s a little bit silly, but it’s the very definition of light entertainment, and Alan makes for a super host who connects with the contestants. Also, it’s one of the most “scream the answer at the TV” formats we’ve seen in years.

Stream series 2-3 now in Apps > ITVX

Picture Slam wasn’t Alan’s first stint as a game show host. In fact, in Epic Gameshow, he presented half a dozen, as each episode was dedicated to recreating a classic of the genre that was once watched by millions every week. Play Your Cards Right, Strike It Lucky, Name That Tune and Take Your Pick were some of the shows brought back to our screens across three series. Only Bullseye made it out of this particular group chat and into a full series. Although Alan didn’t make the cut as the host. In fact, he didn’t even get his Bus Fare Home (a joke for your dad there).

Stream all the series now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

“Alan Carr and Amanda Holden renovate crumbling European properties” feels like something a TV producer plugged into ChatGPT, but the result is fabulous. Rather than two TV people paired up for format reasons, the winning formula for this show comes from the fact that Alan and Amanda are clearly very good friends, so there’s an ease that comes with a long friendship as well as a willingness to push each other’s buttons without fear. All that comes across on the screen, with Amanda’s throaty laugh and Alan’s witch-like cackle never far away from the action.

Stream series 1-3 now in Apps > ITVX

Before this brilliant comedy – co-written by Carr and the late Simon Carlyle, the co-creator of Two Doors Down – a little-known fact about Alan was that his dad Graham was a professional footballer and, later, a football club manager and scout. This sitcom deals with the period when Graham was managing Northampton Town FC and the comedian’s time growing up in the town during the 1980s. It’s one of the best sitcoms of recent memory, and regularly laugh-out-loud funny, yet it remains a bit of a hidden gem. Give it a watch – you won’t regret it.

Stream series 2-6 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

It’s a testament to Alan’s range that he’s comfortable fronting a variety of shows, including Interior Design Masters. More than that, he thrives. Often this is a show where chaos reigns – far more than, say, The Great British Bake Off, where the mishaps are minor – and it’s an atmosphere Alan visibly relishes as the host. He’s also the viewer on screen, calling it as he sees it. “It’s like travelling through a packet of Wotsits,” he famously said about one newly painted orange room. “Is it a bit baby pooey?” he said when faced with another contestant’s colour vision. Perfection.

Stream series 1-7 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

If you had been casting judges for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Alan would have been your top pick. Mother Ru delivered, and Alan’s been part of the judging panel since the start. Apart from his quips and sassiness, the looks he’s served throughout the show’s run are often some of our highlights. From his pink flowery suit in series 2, which suggested he’d wrapped himself in wallpaper from a 1950s boudoir, to his green gingham in series 4 that hinted he’d gone to the same tailor as Rupert the Bear, his outfits often make you wonder if he needs new prescription lenses. We love it.

Stream series 1 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Alan first arrived on our screens in 2005 and has done a lot of telly since then, as this comprehensive list attests. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that last year’s starring appearance on The Celebrity Traitors is his absolute peak, and a role of such cultural significance that it might be the thing we talk about for the rest of his career. If you’ve somehow remained oblivious to what happened, or you’ve stumbled across this page years after the fact, we won’t spoil it, other than this: Alan Carr as a Traitor. Delicious from start to finish. Binge it now.

Stream series 1-8 now in Apps > Channel 4

Alan joined Aisling Bea, Kadeena Cox and – amazingly – Teri Hatcher in the tent in the fifth episode of series 1 of the celebrity spin-off and was absolutely aincrediblemazing. Or, in Alan’s summation, “traumatic”. Some of the compliments he received from the judges included “edible”, “looks dreadful but actually tastes delicious” and, um, “you shouldn’t really be able to snap a sponge”. On the episode, he joked about sabotaging his fellow bakers, so maybe that’s the devilish side that made The Celebrity Traitors producers pick up the phone…

The first episode of Secret Genius airs on Channel 4 HD (CH 104) at 9pm on Sunday 1 February. Once it airs, you’ll be able to watch the series on the Channel 4 app or on Catch Up (if your TV box doesn’t have the Channel 4 app).