Clive Myrie admits hosting 'Mastermind' is "bloody scary".
Clive Myrie
The 56-year-old presenter has replaced John Humphrys as the new host of the long-running quiz show, and he's aware of the scale of his responsibility.
He said: "I’m the guy upon whom, perhaps, the continuing succession of this show rests. That’s really bloody scary."
Clive acknowledges that he has a "very different personality" to John, 78.
And he's insisted that he'll approach the coveted role in his own way.
He explained: "John had a particular persona as a very sharp and aggressive presenter and that’s absolutely brilliant and it was fantastic for John.
"But I have a very different personality. There’s a sense, with the new shows, that I’m not part of the contender’s problem.
"I’m facilitating them getting whatever they know out. I’m not part of the torture process."
Clive also revealed he's been inundated with congratulatory messages since he was announced as John's replacement.
The presenter - who is best known for hosting 'BBC News at Six' and 'BBC News at Ten' - told The Sun newspaper: "I’ve had hundreds, I would say thousands, of messages whether on email, or people stopping me in the street saying it’s fantastic news.
"Loads of messages on Twitter saying it’s brilliant.
"I’ve had that on a number of occasions and I’m very gratified by that."
Clive is conscious that the 'Mastermind' contestants are already under a huge amount of pressure, and he doesn't want to add to their stresses.
The presenter also insisted he won't be messing with the show's traditional format.
He said: "You don’t last 50 years and the first Johnny-come-lately decides he’s going to get rid of the chair and bring in a nice, soft sofa."