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TV Quickfire: Michael McIntyre says his Big Show is bigger and better than ever

The fourth series of Michael McIntyre's Big Show is back on BBC One. The comedian talks about some new twists and also spills the beans on singing with Michael Buble

Michael McIntyre's Big Show is back on BBC One
Michael McIntyre's Big Show is back on BBC One Michael McIntyre's Big Show is back on BBC One

TELL US ABOUT THE FOURTH SERIES OF MICHAEL MCINTYRE'S BIG SHOW.

Everything about the new series is bigger and better than the last. Send to All is back, where I send some very silly texts to all the contacts in celebrities' phones and we see what hilarious replies they get. Unexpected Star returns. So many people have nominated people for us to surprise that we have been able to pick some wonderful people. There's a married couple, a pilot, the oldest Unexpected Star at 92 years old and the youngest at 11.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM 'UNEXPECTED STAR' THIS TIME?

We are doing more and more elaborate things and it's crazy the way we're surprising people in the theatre. This series we have an actual aeroplane fuselage on stage and the Unexpected Star, who is a pilot, sits in a seat and the front of the plane falls down for him to find himself in the middle of the stage.

We've turned the theatre into a haunted house complete with a ghost train ride that travels through a set of doors straight on to the stage.

We also turned the theatre in to a cinema and built an actual auditorium on the stage. The Unexpected Star sat in her seat with her popcorn and the screen fell down to reveal the packed Theatre Royal on their feet applauding her.

DO THE SURPRISES EVER GO WRONG?

We've had things nearly go wrong. We surprised a group of nurses the Christmas before last – they thought they were getting into a lift, the doors would open on the other side and they would find themselves on the stage. Only the lift doors wouldn't open the whole way so I had to climb in and get them all out.

AND WHAT ABOUT THIS UPCOMING SERIES?

It almost went wrong this series with our oldest star to date, David (92) who thought he was going to buy a new walking frame, and Lionel Blair, who was part of the prank, called him by his name. David kept saying: "How does he know my name?" But we got away with it!

WHICH CELEBRITIES ARE PLAYING SEND TO ALL THIS SERIES?

We've got Holly Willoughby, Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, Josh Groban – who's our first American – Anton du Beke and Bradley Walsh. And we're recording Cheryl, too.

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE SEND TO ALL SO FAR?

There's been so many that have been brilliant across the four series, it's hard to pick just one. I really liked Jamie Oliver as I felt it was a really clever text. Ed Balls had some of the funniest replies but people's favourite tends to be Danny Dyer's, everyone loves Danny Dyer, it was so much fun to watch.

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR'S MIDNIGHT GAMESHOW?

We've been doing a new thing called Who's Singing in Your Shower? We've been getting people out of bed and taking them to their bathroom where there's been a pop star singing in their shower and they have to identify who it is.

YOU HAVE A GREAT LIST OF MUSIC GUESTS THIS YEAR, DON'T YOU?

We've got Nile Rodgers, Rita Ora, Kylie, George Ezra, Paloma Faith, Little Mix, Cheryl, Michael Buble.

I had a great moment with Michael Buble where I asked him if he could teach me to sing like him and he said, 'Why we don't sing together?' so we did.

I did every dance move I could think of in-between. I even greatly embarrassed my children by doing that floss dance very badly.

:: Michael McIntyre's Big Show airs on BBC One, Saturdays, at 8.10pm. Catch up on the BBC iPlayer.