October 25, 2025 • 16 mins
Paul Henry's been a regular presence on New Zealand screens and he's come out of retirement to take on his most anticipated hosting job yet.
He is set to host New Zealand's own version of The Chase - the long-running UK-based game show that Kiwis tune into every week.
Ahead of this version dropping to TVNZ next month, Henry says it's 'daunting' taking on a project like this.
"The show is already so popular in New Zealand, but what's really popular is the British Chase. And we're not doing the British Chase, we're doing the New Zealand Chase."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
The Chase franchise. It's a global phenomenon, phenomenon one of
the longest running game shows in the UK was spinoff
franchises Now all over the World and Keewis Love It.
Twenty twenty four figures reporting two out of three of
us watch the show. Well, watch the show in twenty
twenty four. Now The Chase, New Zealand is coming to
(00:40):
TV ands in just over a week, and there really
was only one man to take on the job of
his host, The Chase. His on We all know that voice,
don't we. That is Paul Henry. Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It's always so lovely to be here with you. Francesca,
bless you.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You just can't stay away, and I don't mean from
this show. You've been living this kind of semi retired
life between America and New Zealand. We've seen some lovely
Instagram shots of trips on olive, but then you just
kind of keep popping back. We've got The Chase, and
then of course you're joining the board TV and Z.
What keeps you coming back to the working world.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well, I was properly retired, because people when you retire,
people say, oh, you're going to be able to give
it up, or you're going to be able to get by.
And it was fantastic and I loved it. I didn't
miss anything. And then COVID happened, and so my life
of retirement, which largely involved traveling all the time, changed
because I was only prepared to do one managed isolation
(01:38):
a year, so I had to change the way I traveled.
And then someone offered me a job. And the other
thing was, of course I was for the first time
in my life because you know how extraordinarily relevant I am.
For the first time in my life, I was officially
declared irrelevant by the government of a country, New Zealand,
and so I was locked in my house with the
(01:58):
other irrelevant people. So when I was offered a chance
of relevance, because you've got that exemption and you could,
I said yes. And as soon as you say yes,
work creeps in, it does it creeps in?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So I think it's been fifteen years since you left
T D and Z. What's it like being back in
the building.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
It's a bit, It is a bit. The building's changed
a bit. The broadcast floor has not changed as much,
but even that's changed a bit. And you know, after
fifteen years you sort of forget some things, but it's
sort of done. There is an aspect of home about it.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I started my broadcasting career in New Zealand. No, not
my broadcasting, I said, of my television career in New
Zealand with TV and Z. But that was an avalon
in Wellington. But in fact they may have even been
before this building up in Auckland was built. God, it
may have been. That's how old I am. And so
it does sort of feel a bit like coming home.
Do you know what I've gotten here? Well?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
An app?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
He says, holding up. Oh, don't talk to me about apps.
I hate I have heard bloody apps. Look what I've
got you haven't, I know. Don't even say out loud
that I'm holding up a gold card. I've got my
own gold card. But like I say, don't mention it.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You don't look like you deserve that gold card.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Oh that's a lovely thing to say.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
But funny you should mention that because this we're about
to talk about the chase. But that isn't the first
quiz show you did. You did one in nineteen eighty seven,
didn't you. Every Second Counts and that was your TV
hosting deboot.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, yeah, it was in New Zealand. Yeah, Every Second Counts.
And that was a game show where we gave out.
It had lots of flashing lights. And that sounds like
a silly thing to say. In a way, it sounds well,
of course it did. But there were no plasma screens
in those days, and people didn't have a lot of
(03:52):
flashing lights on television, and we had a lot of
flashing lights. There were sixty people on the crew and
we could barely make the program work. It was. What
we were doing is punching.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Way up a manual kind of used.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
To flash things, and door would be pulled open like
on the old Starship Enterprise, you know, where you know
there were egg carton stuck on the wall and people
standing on either side to make the automatic doors open
and close. So it was a real challenge. We were
punching a bat our way. That was before Sale of
the Century.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
You're just getting that in there, just say we're saying
that just because people sort of remember Sale of the Century.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It was on every night of the week, whereas every
second Council sort of once a week, right, And.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Of course The Chase is a slightly different beast because
this is the biggest game show franchise.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
In the world.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And I heard you say two out of three New
Zealanders watch The Chase in twenty twenty four. I mean,
is it quite daunting taking on a series like that.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It's very daunting, particularly in a country like New Zealand,
because the show is already so popular in New Zealand,
but what's really popular is the British Chase, and we
are not doing a British Chase. We're doing the New
Zealand Chase, the Chase New Zealand, and so people who
love it, and so many people love it because it's
(05:09):
a great show, it's a fantastic format and Bradley's fantastic,
but what they love is the British Chase. So the
challenge for me the daunting thing because I'm not usually
daunted by television because what's the worst thing that could happen?
No one's going to die if I'm terrible at it,
because it's not a plane. The worst thing. The thing
(05:31):
I worry about is that people will be watching and
they won't be able to articulate fully. Oh there's something
about it. I don't know. It's a bit different. Well,
it is a bit different because this is the Chase
in New Zealand. You know. It's that whole thing when
something's uber popular and you're doing a version of it.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
But that's I think that's the best way to go
about it, right. You can't. You can't say I'm going
to I'm going to try and be Bradley. That already exists.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
That's right. So how did this is the New Zealand one?
And that, of course is the golden thing about it. Yes,
you know this is a New Zealand version of the show.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
All New Zealand contestants yep shot in Australia though, right, yes, okay,
how many episodes?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
There are four episodes? So we'll be doing these specials, yes,
in November. So the first one's on November third, and
then every Monday night after that for four Mondays.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Oh fun for it is not that much though, Paul,
what did you go for's midlimit? And then I need
to break.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, I said, how much you're playing with for this?
Well you'll get four?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
No.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I think the thing is it's a special and at
this stage, and the reason we did in Australia is
that there is a huge ITV crew in Australia. The
studio is all set. Enormous set. I mean you see
when you see the program how big the set is.
But when you actually walk in, talking of daunting, when
you walk in and you've got a crew of I
don't know sixty seventy people or something that have been
(06:48):
making the Australian One for the last two weeks, making
a series of the Australian One for the last two weeks,
and then all of a sudden you're there from New Zealand.
They don't know you, and what are we doing this
for a Why haven't we finished them all? No? No,
there's four more to do. No, there is no I've
looked on that. No four for New Zealand. Oh who's
this guy?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
The New Zealanders have just in to record a few.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Around, you know, and you think, oh, you know, this
is the first time I've done this thing, and here's
a well oiled machine.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But you made the traits your own and so how
did you going into the chase? Go? Okay, so how
do I just make this my own?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah? I think the Okay, one advantage I have is that,
in some ways, perhaps personality wise, I am a little
like Bradley. You know, both of us have terrible posture,
so we lean and we use the set much more
because I've watched some of the other international versions of it,
and no one leans like Bradley, you know, he almost
(07:43):
collapses onto the set, which is nice because it needs
to feel, you know, it's an hour of your time
in your home. It should feel, you know, like a
family member in a sense, particularly because one of the
joys with the program is you literally do play at home.
I mean you've now seen it because you are. I
think you are the last New Zealander to have seen
(08:03):
the chase, aren't you.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
You're the I'm a busy person, I did. I just
have managed to miss this hugely successful global phenomenon. But
I did watch a couple of episodes in preparation to
come and talk to you, so I knew what I
was sort of talking about. And here's the thing about quizzes, right,
I did say at home and I nailed it, and
I was like, this is great. But I know for
a fact the minute I would step onto that TV
(08:27):
set and you asked me the questions in front of cameras,
I wouldn't. I'd probably get one out of ten questions.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
No, I think that environment, I think is so hard
to perform it better than that. I did a quiz
show once and I was on it with Jason Gunn,
who sat next to me, hitting that buzzer before the
person had even finished the QUI almost got off and walked
out halfway through. There's no point me being here. I
was terrible. No, I take a I can't. I can't
think in a stressful situation.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I'm quite smart, you know, like you you're answering the question. No, no, no,
I'm quite smart. I know a lot of things, but
I'm not quick. Oh okay, So the problem. If I
was a contestant on the show, my problem would be
I'd be fair everye in my head saying yeah I
knew that, Yeah knew that, because I'm just not queck.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
No, that's my problem. I just need I but I
don't feel like you have that moment to think about it.
So then you get into it. Then you get into
a spiral and you're just blurishing out anything.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Everything a bit stupid because you know you don't know
the answer, so you can say pass straight away, but smart,
you know you do just let me and before you
know it, times gone.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Because there I think that when you watch people when
they're they're they're going against the chaser and you get
the opportunity, the multi choice opportunity, that's where I think
I could you know, you need to you might not
know the answer, but you might excuse me. You've got
to be smart enough to kind of narrow it down
to at least.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Every second question pretty strong clue in it. If you're
reasonably intelligent, you can pick.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Up on did any of the kiwis who turn up
any of them happen to be like professional quizzes. Did
you notice that there were some contestants and you thought
that they've turned up? And you do this the courre
quite often.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
No, I didn't really think that, but I will say
there was a huge difference between the ones that were
almost paralyzed with nerves. You know, when they're still and
they come up to do the initial cash field and
they're so so nervous, and I can see why. And
there's no point saying, oh, you don't need to be nervous,
(10:27):
because actually it's.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
In their breaking situation.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to give you one minute
and the world is going to see you fail. There's
a good.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Reason to then try and just.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Well, you know, you always play it when they're really,
really nervous. Yeah, there's nothing better than saying it looks
like you're paralyzed with fear. And it always makes people
who are nervous smile of it when you catch them
out like that. But yeah, and you'll see with some
of the contestants they are even once they're at the table,
because that, as you say, is much easier when you're
actually playing the chase with the chaser. It is much
(11:02):
easier because for a start, you know, one of those
three answers is actually the ones I like. The questions
I love are the ones that you you almost like,
how far is it from this place to this place?
Or you know, which of these places is closest to
this place? Which really because it's quite a challenge because
you can go into your head and think, so I
(11:24):
know all of those places, but actually the world is round,
which one is closer? I love questions like that.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So you enjoyed the whole process, keen to go back
and do more.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yes, you know, it's one of those things. And quite
often this is the case with me. In fact, you've
asked me questions like this before. I love having done it,
but doing it is actually quite quite hard work, Like
it's frantically hard. And as we've already said, I am
not a young man, and it just it is quite
hard to do. And I really care about doing things well,
(11:57):
so I put myself under a lot of pressure to
do it well. But it's a wonderful thing to have done.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
At least you're consistent in your approach to these things.
But I think you've got a little bit of never
say never. I mean, I don't think you should never
say never.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
You know, no, I agree. I wouldn't take it as
far as the yes man. Did you like that movie?
Did you see that with Jim Carrey? In fact, there's
a book. I started to read the book and then
I thought, this guy's an idiot. But that the whole
thing where you practice actually saying yes to everything. Yeah,
and the guy that actually, in fact, I think I
interviewed the guy that wrote the book who started doing it.
(12:31):
He had a breakup or something in his life with
the shambles and the first thing that happened is someone
knocked on his door selling double clothing and you had
to say yes. But it's worth saying yes to things.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
It is. It is okay, we shouldn't be we shouldn't
not do things because we're all afraid. It's important, especially
as we age, Paul, isn't it to keep that.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Brain, keeps that left right side of the brain moving along?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Hey? Are you still spending your time between New Zealand
and America?
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
I suppose the grandchildren are keeping you drawn back to
New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Though, do you know how the young two of the
twins are won in a bit and extraordinarily And I'm
not sure how my daughter managed this, but she's almost
due with her next child. What is that about? I mean,
it must have been so easy.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
She's a brave woman, let's I agree.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
And she's really but it is an extraordinary thing. You've
got to be proud, although there's you know, you bring
her into question when she's made that decision. But yes,
so I'm going to have three grandchildren in New Zealand
soon the twins are just over won. And then I've
got two grandchildren in Australia in Melbourne.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Oh, fantastic, right.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
It's been worthwhile see and on top of that a
game show.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And a game show. How are you feeling about New
Zealand last year? I think it was June last year
you said that we're a bit broken and deepen the shit?
Are you feeling bitter about it? Now? Are we on
the road to recovery? Do you think you?
Speaker 3 (13:55):
I wish I could say we were. You know what's happened,
And you're quoting from a speech that I made, And
in that speech, I said, the people that are are
in charge now will maybe nudge the ship in the
right direction, but they won't turn it in the right direction.
And I think that's exactly what's happened. And time time
(14:17):
to fix this country is slipping away.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
General consensus seems to be it's really eighteen twelve to
eighteen months before maybe we feel like we're turning. Would
you agree with that? If you talk to the business, it.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Detends, because of course you don't turn. The whole country
doesn't turn in unis it's nice. So even from a
commercial point of view, some aspects of the country turn
more quickly than other aspects. I think, for instance, and
it's very early days, but I think it's possible the
housing market has just taken a little nudge. I hate
that term green shoots, but I'm going to use it.
There are some they're beginning to show very early days,
(14:53):
whereas there are other parts of the economy which are
showing no signs of improvement at all. It's really quite worrying,
do you know. Again, it comes back to the point
that I made during COVID. You know, all that money
that we borrowed, we spent, we didn't invest. What positive
things in this country have we got to show for
(15:14):
what sixty plus billion dollars that we.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Borrowed, like a game show, some for you, some for
you some year ago. Let's figet it out here.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Getting back to the chase just quickly, because I was
basically I can tell from you've got that look about
you what I always have when I know an interview
should have ended ten minutes ago. One of the great
things is, you know, I don't think people have a
huge expectation they're going to win money when they go
on the chase. You know, most people won't, and they
know it. You know, it's a very hard game to
walk away with money from. But we had thousands of people.
(15:45):
Thousands of New Zealanders in like a week respond to
about two ads for contestants because there's something about the challenge,
there's something about the game that people want to be
part of.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
So excited that you were back on our television screens
on the Chase, and as always, it's a pleasure to
have you on the studio. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I'll see you when something else happens. Okay, Francesca, see
that was.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
The one and only Paul Henry here's the host of
The Chase New Zealand. The first show as seven thirty
pm Monday, the third of November on TV and ZID
one and TV in Z Plus.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk z it B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks edb.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
The Chase franchise. It's a global phenomenon, phenomenon one of
the longest running game shows in the UK was spinoff
franchises Now all over the World and Keewis Love It.
Twenty twenty four figures reporting two out of three of
us watch the show. Well, watch the show in twenty
twenty four. Now The Chase, New Zealand is coming to
(00:40):
TV ands in just over a week, and there really
was only one man to take on the job of
his host, The Chase. His on We all know that voice,
don't we. That is Paul Henry. Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It's always so lovely to be here with you. Francesca,
bless you.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You just can't stay away, and I don't mean from
this show. You've been living this kind of semi retired
life between America and New Zealand. We've seen some lovely
Instagram shots of trips on olive, but then you just
kind of keep popping back. We've got The Chase, and
then of course you're joining the board TV and Z.
What keeps you coming back to the working world.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well, I was properly retired, because people when you retire,
people say, oh, you're going to be able to give
it up, or you're going to be able to get by.
And it was fantastic and I loved it. I didn't
miss anything. And then COVID happened, and so my life
of retirement, which largely involved traveling all the time, changed
because I was only prepared to do one managed isolation
(01:38):
a year, so I had to change the way I traveled.
And then someone offered me a job. And the other
thing was, of course I was for the first time
in my life because you know how extraordinarily relevant I am.
For the first time in my life, I was officially
declared irrelevant by the government of a country, New Zealand,
and so I was locked in my house with the
(01:58):
other irrelevant people. So when I was offered a chance
of relevance, because you've got that exemption and you could,
I said yes. And as soon as you say yes,
work creeps in, it does it creeps in?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So I think it's been fifteen years since you left
T D and Z. What's it like being back in
the building.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
It's a bit, It is a bit. The building's changed
a bit. The broadcast floor has not changed as much,
but even that's changed a bit. And you know, after
fifteen years you sort of forget some things, but it's
sort of done. There is an aspect of home about it.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I started my broadcasting career in New Zealand. No, not
my broadcasting, I said, of my television career in New
Zealand with TV and Z. But that was an avalon
in Wellington. But in fact they may have even been
before this building up in Auckland was built. God, it
may have been. That's how old I am. And so
it does sort of feel a bit like coming home.
Do you know what I've gotten here? Well?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
An app?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
He says, holding up. Oh, don't talk to me about apps.
I hate I have heard bloody apps. Look what I've
got you haven't, I know. Don't even say out loud
that I'm holding up a gold card. I've got my
own gold card. But like I say, don't mention it.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You don't look like you deserve that gold card.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Oh that's a lovely thing to say.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
But funny you should mention that because this we're about
to talk about the chase. But that isn't the first
quiz show you did. You did one in nineteen eighty seven,
didn't you. Every Second Counts and that was your TV
hosting deboot.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, yeah, it was in New Zealand. Yeah, Every Second Counts.
And that was a game show where we gave out.
It had lots of flashing lights. And that sounds like
a silly thing to say. In a way, it sounds well,
of course it did. But there were no plasma screens
in those days, and people didn't have a lot of
(03:52):
flashing lights on television, and we had a lot of
flashing lights. There were sixty people on the crew and
we could barely make the program work. It was. What
we were doing is punching.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Way up a manual kind of used.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
To flash things, and door would be pulled open like
on the old Starship Enterprise, you know, where you know
there were egg carton stuck on the wall and people
standing on either side to make the automatic doors open
and close. So it was a real challenge. We were
punching a bat our way. That was before Sale of
the Century.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
You're just getting that in there, just say we're saying
that just because people sort of remember Sale of the Century.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It was on every night of the week, whereas every
second Council sort of once a week, right, And.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Of course The Chase is a slightly different beast because
this is the biggest game show franchise.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
In the world.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And I heard you say two out of three New
Zealanders watch The Chase in twenty twenty four. I mean,
is it quite daunting taking on a series like that.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It's very daunting, particularly in a country like New Zealand,
because the show is already so popular in New Zealand,
but what's really popular is the British Chase, and we
are not doing a British Chase. We're doing the New
Zealand Chase, the Chase New Zealand, and so people who
love it, and so many people love it because it's
(05:09):
a great show, it's a fantastic format and Bradley's fantastic,
but what they love is the British Chase. So the
challenge for me the daunting thing because I'm not usually
daunted by television because what's the worst thing that could happen?
No one's going to die if I'm terrible at it,
because it's not a plane. The worst thing. The thing
(05:31):
I worry about is that people will be watching and
they won't be able to articulate fully. Oh there's something
about it. I don't know. It's a bit different. Well,
it is a bit different because this is the Chase
in New Zealand. You know. It's that whole thing when
something's uber popular and you're doing a version of it.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
But that's I think that's the best way to go
about it, right. You can't. You can't say I'm going
to I'm going to try and be Bradley. That already exists.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
That's right. So how did this is the New Zealand one?
And that, of course is the golden thing about it. Yes,
you know this is a New Zealand version of the show.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
All New Zealand contestants yep shot in Australia though, right, yes, okay,
how many episodes?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
There are four episodes? So we'll be doing these specials, yes,
in November. So the first one's on November third, and
then every Monday night after that for four Mondays.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Oh fun for it is not that much though, Paul,
what did you go for's midlimit? And then I need
to break.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, I said, how much you're playing with for this?
Well you'll get four?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
No.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I think the thing is it's a special and at
this stage, and the reason we did in Australia is
that there is a huge ITV crew in Australia. The
studio is all set. Enormous set. I mean you see
when you see the program how big the set is.
But when you actually walk in, talking of daunting, when
you walk in and you've got a crew of I
don't know sixty seventy people or something that have been
(06:48):
making the Australian One for the last two weeks, making
a series of the Australian One for the last two weeks,
and then all of a sudden you're there from New Zealand.
They don't know you, and what are we doing this
for a Why haven't we finished them all? No? No,
there's four more to do. No, there is no I've
looked on that. No four for New Zealand. Oh who's
this guy?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
The New Zealanders have just in to record a few.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Around, you know, and you think, oh, you know, this
is the first time I've done this thing, and here's
a well oiled machine.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But you made the traits your own and so how
did you going into the chase? Go? Okay, so how
do I just make this my own?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah? I think the Okay, one advantage I have is that,
in some ways, perhaps personality wise, I am a little
like Bradley. You know, both of us have terrible posture,
so we lean and we use the set much more
because I've watched some of the other international versions of it,
and no one leans like Bradley, you know, he almost
(07:43):
collapses onto the set, which is nice because it needs
to feel, you know, it's an hour of your time
in your home. It should feel, you know, like a
family member in a sense, particularly because one of the
joys with the program is you literally do play at home.
I mean you've now seen it because you are. I
think you are the last New Zealander to have seen
(08:03):
the chase, aren't you.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
You're the I'm a busy person, I did. I just
have managed to miss this hugely successful global phenomenon. But
I did watch a couple of episodes in preparation to
come and talk to you, so I knew what I
was sort of talking about. And here's the thing about quizzes, right,
I did say at home and I nailed it, and
I was like, this is great. But I know for
a fact the minute I would step onto that TV
(08:27):
set and you asked me the questions in front of cameras,
I wouldn't. I'd probably get one out of ten questions.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
No, I think that environment, I think is so hard
to perform it better than that. I did a quiz
show once and I was on it with Jason Gunn,
who sat next to me, hitting that buzzer before the
person had even finished the QUI almost got off and walked
out halfway through. There's no point me being here. I
was terrible. No, I take a I can't. I can't
think in a stressful situation.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I'm quite smart, you know, like you you're answering the question. No, no, no,
I'm quite smart. I know a lot of things, but
I'm not quick. Oh okay, So the problem. If I
was a contestant on the show, my problem would be
I'd be fair everye in my head saying yeah I
knew that, Yeah knew that, because I'm just not queck.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
No, that's my problem. I just need I but I
don't feel like you have that moment to think about it.
So then you get into it. Then you get into
a spiral and you're just blurishing out anything.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Everything a bit stupid because you know you don't know
the answer, so you can say pass straight away, but smart,
you know you do just let me and before you
know it, times gone.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Because there I think that when you watch people when
they're they're they're going against the chaser and you get
the opportunity, the multi choice opportunity, that's where I think
I could you know, you need to you might not
know the answer, but you might excuse me. You've got
to be smart enough to kind of narrow it down
to at least.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Every second question pretty strong clue in it. If you're
reasonably intelligent, you can pick.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Up on did any of the kiwis who turn up
any of them happen to be like professional quizzes. Did
you notice that there were some contestants and you thought
that they've turned up? And you do this the courre
quite often.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
No, I didn't really think that, but I will say
there was a huge difference between the ones that were
almost paralyzed with nerves. You know, when they're still and
they come up to do the initial cash field and
they're so so nervous, and I can see why. And
there's no point saying, oh, you don't need to be nervous,
(10:27):
because actually it's.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
In their breaking situation.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to give you one minute
and the world is going to see you fail. There's
a good.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Reason to then try and just.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Well, you know, you always play it when they're really,
really nervous. Yeah, there's nothing better than saying it looks
like you're paralyzed with fear. And it always makes people
who are nervous smile of it when you catch them
out like that. But yeah, and you'll see with some
of the contestants they are even once they're at the table,
because that, as you say, is much easier when you're
actually playing the chase with the chaser. It is much
(11:02):
easier because for a start, you know, one of those
three answers is actually the ones I like. The questions
I love are the ones that you you almost like,
how far is it from this place to this place?
Or you know, which of these places is closest to
this place? Which really because it's quite a challenge because
you can go into your head and think, so I
(11:24):
know all of those places, but actually the world is round,
which one is closer? I love questions like that.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So you enjoyed the whole process, keen to go back
and do more.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yes, you know, it's one of those things. And quite
often this is the case with me. In fact, you've
asked me questions like this before. I love having done it,
but doing it is actually quite quite hard work, Like
it's frantically hard. And as we've already said, I am
not a young man, and it just it is quite
hard to do. And I really care about doing things well,
(11:57):
so I put myself under a lot of pressure to
do it well. But it's a wonderful thing to have done.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
At least you're consistent in your approach to these things.
But I think you've got a little bit of never
say never. I mean, I don't think you should never
say never.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
You know, no, I agree. I wouldn't take it as
far as the yes man. Did you like that movie?
Did you see that with Jim Carrey? In fact, there's
a book. I started to read the book and then
I thought, this guy's an idiot. But that the whole
thing where you practice actually saying yes to everything. Yeah,
and the guy that actually, in fact, I think I
interviewed the guy that wrote the book who started doing it.
(12:31):
He had a breakup or something in his life with
the shambles and the first thing that happened is someone
knocked on his door selling double clothing and you had
to say yes. But it's worth saying yes to things.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
It is. It is okay, we shouldn't be we shouldn't
not do things because we're all afraid. It's important, especially
as we age, Paul, isn't it to keep that.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Brain, keeps that left right side of the brain moving along?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Hey? Are you still spending your time between New Zealand
and America?
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
I suppose the grandchildren are keeping you drawn back to
New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Though, do you know how the young two of the
twins are won in a bit and extraordinarily And I'm
not sure how my daughter managed this, but she's almost
due with her next child. What is that about? I mean,
it must have been so easy.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
She's a brave woman, let's I agree.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
And she's really but it is an extraordinary thing. You've
got to be proud, although there's you know, you bring
her into question when she's made that decision. But yes,
so I'm going to have three grandchildren in New Zealand
soon the twins are just over won. And then I've
got two grandchildren in Australia in Melbourne.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Oh, fantastic, right.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
It's been worthwhile see and on top of that a
game show.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And a game show. How are you feeling about New
Zealand last year? I think it was June last year
you said that we're a bit broken and deepen the shit?
Are you feeling bitter about it? Now? Are we on
the road to recovery? Do you think you?
Speaker 3 (13:55):
I wish I could say we were. You know what's happened,
And you're quoting from a speech that I made, And
in that speech, I said, the people that are are
in charge now will maybe nudge the ship in the
right direction, but they won't turn it in the right direction.
And I think that's exactly what's happened. And time time
(14:17):
to fix this country is slipping away.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
General consensus seems to be it's really eighteen twelve to
eighteen months before maybe we feel like we're turning. Would
you agree with that? If you talk to the business, it.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Detends, because of course you don't turn. The whole country
doesn't turn in unis it's nice. So even from a
commercial point of view, some aspects of the country turn
more quickly than other aspects. I think, for instance, and
it's very early days, but I think it's possible the
housing market has just taken a little nudge. I hate
that term green shoots, but I'm going to use it.
There are some they're beginning to show very early days,
(14:53):
whereas there are other parts of the economy which are
showing no signs of improvement at all. It's really quite worrying,
do you know. Again, it comes back to the point
that I made during COVID. You know, all that money
that we borrowed, we spent, we didn't invest. What positive
things in this country have we got to show for
(15:14):
what sixty plus billion dollars that we.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Borrowed, like a game show, some for you, some for
you some year ago. Let's figet it out here.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Getting back to the chase just quickly, because I was
basically I can tell from you've got that look about
you what I always have when I know an interview
should have ended ten minutes ago. One of the great
things is, you know, I don't think people have a
huge expectation they're going to win money when they go
on the chase. You know, most people won't, and they
know it. You know, it's a very hard game to
walk away with money from. But we had thousands of people.
(15:45):
Thousands of New Zealanders in like a week respond to
about two ads for contestants because there's something about the challenge,
there's something about the game that people want to be
part of.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
So excited that you were back on our television screens
on the Chase, and as always, it's a pleasure to
have you on the studio. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I'll see you when something else happens. Okay, Francesca, see
that was.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
The one and only Paul Henry here's the host of
The Chase New Zealand. The first show as seven thirty
pm Monday, the third of November on TV and ZID
one and TV in Z Plus.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk z it B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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