Why Rick Edwards has the best first date chat you'll ever hear

published 13 October 2017

A journey through space and time... and T4

When you think about the halcyon days of TV, you have to go back to the early noughties, to a time where the term ‘Netflix and chill’ was a merely glint in a some marketing director’s eye, and binge watching consisted of watching the Hollyoaks omnibus* and Friends on a constant programming loop… obviously, I’m talking about T4.

*Can we just take a moment to remember the post-watershed Hollyoaks Later?

Acting as the last bastion of proper good destination telly, watching T4 and its roster of presenters was the only things that actually made me get up at a decent time on a weekend morning. Basically, to see Rick Edwards, Alexa Chung, Steve Jones and pals introduce some shows and interview (and offend) some A-listers. More on that that later…

Before this turns into some saccharine tribute to a show that, I think, defined a whole damn generation (or at least got them acquainted to multiple versions of Cohen’s biblical ‘Hallelujah’, thanks to The OC), we’re here to talk all things Rick Edwards. AKA my favourite T4 presenter. Aside from Alexa, obvs.

Yes, Rick Edwards is now a published author: his new book with Dr Michael Brooks, Science(ish): The Peculiar Science Behind The Movies, riffs off the podcast of the same name, and is all about confronting The Big Questions we shout at the screen when we’re watching those iconinc sci-fi movies that are great and all, but leave us with SO many questions. Can dinosaurs ever really come back to walk with us Jurassic Park style? Are we ever going to live on Mars? Wonder know more, Rick’s your man…

Oh, and to address my previous point of offending A-List celebs, let’s just say Rick had a particular moment with Julia Roberts, where he thought it was appropriate to interview her wearing swimwear (him, not her), then refuse to believe Julia when she said they had met before. Surely you’d remember meeting Julia Roberts? Not if you’re Rick, no.

Science(ish): The Peculiar Science Behind The Movies’, by Rick Edwards & Dr Michael Brooks is out now in hardback, £12.99, Atlantic Books. (FYI, it’s worth a read if only to make you sound 50% more intelligent during dinner party chat).

Rick will be returning as host of BBC One quiz ‘Impossible’ from Monday 16th Oct.

Holly Rains is the digital editor of Marie Claire UK. She has over 10 years journalism experience, working as an editor and writer, specialising in digital media, content strategy and dog breeds. Prior to Marie Claire, she has held senior staff positions at ELLE UK, Grazia and Company magazine.

Holly is a frequent speaker, panelist and interviewer on a range of subjects including media trends, careers and entertainment. From working with Reuters to provide global red carpet coverage for events like the BAFTAs, to discussing fashion and beauty trends on network TV, she was also the host of the Marie Claire series ‘Holly’s First Dates’, where she regularly interviewed a mix of inspiring woman and A-list celebrities (including Jack Black, Dakota Fanning and Renée Zellweger) - a series which garnered half a million views in its first two months. And was approved by The Rock.

Her love of office-based meetings means that the days of discovering the melting point of Cadbury's Flakes are long gone, but when she isn't dreaming of scheduling in meetings, she likes to think about social media, and how best to avoid it whilst still retaining the title of 'digital' editor. She also likes learning about emerging technology, Influencers and how to become a Financially Responsible Adult.

Contact Holly: holly.rains@futurenet.com

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