Ben Shephard ('Who Dares Sings!')

A quick glance down Ben Shephard's CV reveals that he's one of the busiest men on TV. Over the past few years he's hosted The Xtra Factor, a Dancing on Ice spinoff and become a permanent fixture next to Fiona Phillips on the GMTV sofa. He's even had time to box Lemar in a charity bout for Sport Relief! His latest show, Who Dares Sings!, aims to capture the "fun and frivolity of Saturday night karaoke". We caught up with Ben to find out more - and get his thoughts on his much-maligned GMTV co-host.

What's the idea behind Who Dares Sings!?
"It's a karaoke game show. It's very similar to the computer game SingStar. It measures how in tune you are compared to the original [song], then awards you points relatively. We're not about trying to find the best singer in the world. We get a lot of people coming on who love karaoke, love a bit of a sing-song and love having a bit of a laugh. Hopefully someone wins a bit of money at the end of the day."

What sort of contestants have you had on?
"There's a lot from Essex. Karaoke is very popular in Essex, which is good to know. We have lots coming down from Manchester and Leeds. The karaoke king of Benidorm has been in, as well as kings and queens who've won various competitions around the country. You get some wonderful, colourful characters full of beans and full of personality."

Have you done a bit of karaoke yourself?
"Being an Essex boy myself, there's something a bit 'karaoke in the water' in Essex. I have been known to partake in a bit of the odd karaoke here and there."

Have you gone up against the show's computer, 'SAM'?
"I have actually. I’ve been up against SAM a couple of times and fared a lot better than my co-host, Denise van Outen. I destroyed Denise! The thing is, it's not looking for the best singer, it's looking for someone who can sing in tune, follow the tune and also hold the notes for the correct length. Denise is obviously a highly-trained West End performer and when she sings she performs, and by performing it you often veer away from the original tune. That's not what SAM's after. I've managed to beat Denise every time we've done it."

How did she take the defeats?
"She's furious! We have to keep going until she can get it."

Were you annoyed that you didn't get The X Factor job when Kate Thornton left?
"I would've loved it if they had given me the job. I was one of the people shortlisted but in the end they decided to go with Dermot and that was absolutely cool. I'm very aware that telly is like the world of business where you do your time as the junior and get moved up to the senior. There's things that are beyond my control and I completely respect that. I think Dermot's a great presenter. I was disappointed not to get it, but I completely respect their decision."

What's Fiona Phillips like to present with? She's someone who provokes a lot of rage on the DS forums.
"The thing about Fiona is she'll say exactly what she's thinking. TV's a subjective medium - I know for a fact that there's people who can't stand watching me in the morning! It's better to provoke a reaction than to be insipid and boring. If people don't even notice you're there then you're not doing your job properly. For all those people who take issue with what she's said, at least they're getting inspired enough to talk about it. I think she's one of the best broadcasters around, she knows her job inside out. She can communicate a story, whether it be a serious politics story, a human interest story, a showbiz story or a sports story. She can communicate that with absolute ease and that's something you can't underestimate."

Who Dares Sings! begins Saturday, June 28 at 8pm on ITV1.