Finalists for best host award announced

The finalists in the Best Host of a Format category in the International Format Awards 2020 have been announced by C21, which is holding the awards online this month, in association with FRAPA, EMC and MipFormats.

The awards will be presented online with a digital event that runs between June 10 and 25, sponsored by All3Media International, ITV Studios and Sony Pictures Television. The finalists in each category of the awards will be revealed daily until June 23, with the event taking place ‘as live’ online on June 25 at 7am PST/10am EST/3pm BST/4pm CET.

The Best Host of a Format award is designed to recognise talent in front of the camera and will be given to the person the judges feel have played a key role in enhancing a format by the sheer strength of personality, flair and unique approach to fronting a television format.

Finalists in the category this year include eight hosts of six programmes from four countries: Sweden, Germany, the UK and the US. Two finalists are actually double-acts hosting, and the genres covered in the category this year include quiz, physical challenge and comedy.

From Sweden comes duo Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson (aka Filip and Fredrik), hosts of Kanal 5’s high-volume quizshow Head to Head. The award-winning show is produced by Nexiko, which the hosts set up with former Kanal 5 exec Lars Beckung, and is distributed by All3Media International.

Another hosting double-act is in the mix with Joko Winterscheidt and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf (aka Joko and Klaas), who front German show Beat the Channel on ProSieben. The format, already commissioned for a third season by the broadcaster, is being distributed by Red Arrow Studios International.

Described as “a riotous new entertainment gameshow,” it gives two TV presenters the chance to win a 15-minute live broadcast slot and is produced by Joko and Klaas’ prodco Florida Entertainment.

The hosts of two UK series are also finalists in this category: Michael McIntyre and Stephen Mulhern. McIntyre is in the running for his turn hosting primetime Saturday night comedy series Michael McIntyre’s Big Show for BBC1, which is produced by Hungry Bear Media and distributed by NBCUniversal Formats Distribution.

Mulhern, meanwhile, is the face of action-packed gameshow In For A Penny on ITV, based on a popular segment from variety show Saturday Night Takeaway. The gameshow, which takes place on the streets with unsuspecting members of the public, is produced by ITV Studios and Mitre Television and is distributed by ITV Studios.

Two hosts of big US network primetime shows are also in the running for best host this year. Rob Riggle, host of Holey Moley on ABC, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who presents The Titan Games on NBC.

Produced for ABC by Eureka Productions and Unanimous Media, golf-themed Holey Moley premiered stateside in June last year and was renewed last fall, with the second season teeing off last month. The format is being distributed internationally by Disney/ABC.

The Titan Games, meanwhile, is produced by NBCUniversal Television Alternative Studio, Seven Bucks Productions and A Smith & Co Productions. The show debuted on the US network in January 2019 and last month launched its second season. The format is distributed by NBCUniversal Formats Distribution.