Kemp to present BBC’s The Finish Line
March 30, 2023
The award-winning ITV Studios label, Potato, in partnership with Belfast-based Nice One Productions has announced that Roman Kemp is to front the brand-new quiz show – The Finish Line – due to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year, joined by Sarah Greene.
Currently filming in Belfast, Northern Ireland, contestants will compete in quiz-fuelled races across a unique racetrack set. Knowledge equals speed in this exciting fresh format from Potato. The more you know, the further you go.
In each episode, hosted by Kemp and assisted by Greene, five contestants battle across a series of qualifiers and head-to-head races for the chance to win a cash prize. The aim of the game is simple – make it to the finish line before your rivals.
Kemp said: “I’m so excited to be hosting The Finish Line, coming to BBC One later this year. I’m a huge fan of quiz shows and with this being my first time hosting one, I really can’t wait to get stuck in. I love that it’s a brand-new format but based on an iconic horse-racing fairground game. The show is set to be challenging and unpredictable; we know that viewers will be hooked.”
Greene added: “This show will be fantastic fun and so I am really looking forward to working with Roman on this new format. It’s all about high-energy, high-drama racing and quickfire questions, and I’ll be bringing my A-game to ensure that young Roman and the contestants are kept on the straight and narrow.”
Commissioned by BBC Daytime, the 25-episode series is produced in association with Northern Ireland Screen. Potato have always had ambitions to produce big entertainment-format shows in Ireland, with The Finish Line becoming the first quiz-show going into production on home turf.
Michael Kelpie, MD of Potato and Executive Producer, said: “I have dreamed for many years about making TV shows back at home and I hope this will be the first of many. Chris [Jones] and I have been friends for years and I look forward to working closely with him and the amazing team we’re putting together for The Finish Line. Bringing Potato to Ireland – who’d have thought it! Feels like the most natural thing in the world.”
Chris Jones, Founder of Nice One Productions, added: “We love working with BBC Daytime and this new series partnership with Michael and his super-talented team in Potato is brilliant news for us, and another exciting step forward for Nice One’s ambition to help Belfast become a centre of excellence for studio quiz production.
Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning, commented: “We can’t wait for BBC Daytime viewers to start playing along with this exciting new quiz. Roman Kemp is the perfect host for such a fresh, dynamic format, alongside the brilliant TV icon Sarah Greene.”
The Finish Line is produced with funding from Northern Ireland Screen by Potato, in partnership with Nice One Productions. The series is executive produced by Potato’s Michael Kelpie, Adam Adler and Nice One’s Chris Jones. The series is commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Alex McLeod.
ITV Studios label Potato is one of the UK’s most successful entertainment format producers, producing a range of high quality, entertaining and returning formats across multiple genres.