Martin Offiah

Press clippings

Anyone looking for a glimpse into the post-credit crunch TV future needed only to tune in to We Need Answers, surely the cheapest TV show ever made. Inside what looked like a shoebox constructed out of orange and white cardboard, three blokes in cheap suits waved their arms about and shouted a lot. Yet even though it was done on a budget of £1.50, it was still way more funny than a typical 20 minutes of I'm A Celebrity.

We Need Answers doesn't really have a format, other than a mild crib off Family Fortunes. It just lures two (very cheap) celebs - first up Martin Offiah and Radio 4's Jenni Murray - and pokes mild fun at them. That it climaxed with Murray bellowing: 'Both my parents are Nigerian!' into a microphone to see how loud she could shout (105.4 decibels, since you ask) tells you all you need to know. It's fitfully funny, in an 'it's either this or trim my toenails' kind of way.

Keith Watson, Metro, 2nd December 2009

Series two of the show that's like a comedy quiz as seen in a cheese dream. On a blinding set dominated by a glaring, lo-fi computer screen, two celebrity contestants are faced with questions that have been sent to text-message answer services. Tonight: Martin Offiah v Jenni Murray. The random goofing is indebted to Shooting Stars and can feel indulgent and exclusive, although you can't argue with the hilarity of Murray being made to shout "Both my parents are Nigerians!" into a decibel-meter. Tilting his head strangely backwards, Mark Watson hosts.

Jack Seale, Radio Times, 1st December 2009

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