Alex Brooker reveals what he loved about trying new things in upcoming series, Hobby Man

Virgin Radio

18 Aug 2022, 11:35

Alex Brooker joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about his new four-part series, Hobby Man.

The show, which begins tomorrow, Friday 19th August, at 8pm on Channel 4, will see Alex travel around the country, having a go at various different hobbies, and meeting the people who love them. He told Tom Allen, who is in for Chris: “I got to the age of 38 and I kind of realised that the only things that I really like are football and Ghostbusters. And I liked those things when I was seven, so I’ve not added to my wheelhouse in 30-odd years! 

“Channel 4 came to me with this show about trying new hobbies and I thought, ‘Do you know what, try and become a bit more of a rounded person, try and bring something new into my life.’"

The Last Leg star will be accompanied on his travels by four celebrity hobby testers: Scarlett Moffatt, Joe Wilkinson, Joe Thomas, and Andi Oliver. Speaking further about Hobby Man, Alex said: “As you get older, you tend to fall into the same routines every week, and doing the same things, so that’s what really attracted me to the show, to try and do something new, try and do different new things. I’d never played chess before; I got bang into it! I’m rubbish. I mean, I’m so gung-ho on it! 

“I’ve been playing on the app, after the show. I lose all the time on it. It just gets me annoyed!"

At the end of each episode, Alex and his guests will reflect on the highs and lows of their week of hobby testing and decide which one they loved best. He told Tom: “What I love about the show is, the contributors that we have, they’re so passionate about their hobbies. And I always think that there’s something that’s really endearing when, even if it’s something you’ve never thought about before, like birdwatching, and they talk with such passion, and they genuinely love it, and it kind of rubs off on you.

Along with chess and birdwatching, Alex and his celeb pals will try knitting, photography, fly-fishing and home brewing. Of the latter, he said: “I’ll be honest with you, the home brew was my favourite. That was the one where I thought, ‘I could get bang into this.’

“We designed our own beer on it, as well. Called Hoppy Man. It works on a couple of levels!”

Of the beer they created, Alex said: “I actually think it’s decent. We gave them the remit that I wanted something that was like a turbo-shandy, like a beer and Smirnoff Ice. Something that you could really get into.”

Speaking about another of the adventures he went on, the presenter said: “Me and Joe Wilkinson, when we did the episode in Wales, we went knitting, and they’re a group of ladies that are in their 90s, and they meet in a college every week. And they give them a little space and they just sit there knitting, and having a cup of tea and a biscuit, and we did that for an-hour-and-a-half, and I can honestly say that it’s probably the most peaceful hour-and-a-half of my life. It was so lovely. I got so into it that at one point I was reminded by the director that I’m being filmed and I had to actually talk!”

Alex told Tom: “One of the things I really enjoyed most about the show was seeing how much these people loved their hobbies and why, and what it brings to their lives and their mental health.”

Hobby Man begins tomorrow (19th August) at 8pm on Channel 4.

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or  catch up on-demand here.