It was unwise to think I could easily cross the Bridge of Lies
It's all very well sitting on your sofa shouting quiz answers at the TV.
But it is quite a different beast being up there, testing your own general knowledge in front of telly hardman Ross Kemp.
I was lucky enough to be recently asked along to a behind-the-scenes visit to the set of quiz show Bridge of Lies.
As I routinely sit in disbelief watching contestants get simple answers wrong, I thought 'this is going to be a piece of cake'. How wrong I was…The set looked even more dramatic in person, with the iconic bridge looming under intense lighting. The intensity was real from the moment I walked into the studio. The buzzing cameras, the dramatic music, it was just like it looks on TV, but ten times more immersive in person. And at the centre of it all was host Ross Kemp – every bit as intense and focused as you would expect. His presence alone could make your pulse spike.
I was put in a team of five to complete the final bridge. When Ross called my name, I stepped forward. Then came the three statements I had to face: Miley Cyrus is older than Taylor Swift
Levi Strauss designed the small jean pocket to hold a watch
The River Exe flows through the Wye Valley
The format is simple but deceptive: three statements, one correct step forward at a time. But under pressure, with studio lights blazing and all the production staff's eyes on you, even the most confident answers can feel uncertain.
I chose the first statement, believing Miley Cyrus was older than Taylor Swift. I took a step forward and was met with a red light. Incorrect. The bridge had beaten me. Of course, I knew the correct answer, in hindsight, but the pressure got to me.
I'll be honest, it stung. I was gutted. But weirdly, I was also buzzing. The rush of stepping out there, the challenge, the drama – it was brilliant.
Kemp, best known for his acting and hard-hitting documentary work, brings an unmistakable energy to the show. In person, he's completely in command of the room.
But what really struck me was how genuinely warm and lovely he was off-camera.
Despite the intense atmosphere he helps create on-screen, he made time for us, and his support behind the scenes helped calm the nerves of many contestants, myself included, and made the entire experience more enjoyable.
He even welled up talking to me about a contestant who was now able to buy Christmas presents for her children after her success on the show.
Behind the scenes, the show runs like clockwork. Every camera movement, lighting change, and sound cue is timed to perfection. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the scale and effort involved in producing what viewers see at home.
Was being on Bridge of Lies scary? Absolutely. Nerve-wracking? Without question.
I may not have made it across the bridge.
But I walked away with a good story to tell, and I also have a lot more sympathy for those poor contestants that I used to shout at on my TV at home.
Bridge of Lies and Celebrity Bridge of Lies are both produced by STV Studios and commissioned by the BBC.
Celebrity Bridge of Lies returns to BBC One and iPlayer for a brand new series on Saturday, May 3.
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