Roman Kemp To Front BBC Daytime Format ‘The Finish Line’

EXCLUSIVE: Roman Kemp is to host The Finish Line, the BBC’s latest big daytime TV bet from The Chase producer Potato.

Kemp, the well-known radio host who came third on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2019, will be assisted by Sarah Greene in the show, which is currently filming in Belfast.

Co-produced by Potato and Nice One Productions, The Finish Line sees five contestants compete in quiz-fuelled races across a unique racetrack set, battling across a series of qualifiers and head-to-head races for the chance to cross the finish line and win a cash prize.

The Finish Line is Kemp’s debut hosting gig. The son of EastEnders actor Martin Kemp has appeared on a number of TV shows and has hosted the Capital FM Breakfast Show for the past six years.

Kemp praised the nature of the “brand new format based on an iconic horseracing fairground game.”

“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,” he added.

Michael Kelpie, MD of The Chase indie Potato, said he has “dreamed for many years about making TV shows” in his native Belfast. “[Nice One boss] 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,” he added.

Potato also made ITV’s Ninja Warrior reboot, which has been rested this year, while Nice One was behind BBC Two format Lightning with Fizz TV.

The Finish Line is produced with funding from Northern Ireland Screen and exec produced by Potato’s Kelpie, Adam Adler and Nice One’s Jones. The series is commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Alex McLeod.