Sam & Mark chat 'Glee Club'

Regulars on This Morning, hosts of their own hit CBBC series Copycats and now the presenters of Comic Relief Does Glee Club, Sam & Mark have come a long way since their Pop Idol days. We caught up with the children's TV duo while they were at ITV Towers to have a quick chat about their latest antics.

How's life at This Morning?
Sam: "We've been here over a year now, which it doesn't feel like, it's flown by. A lot of people who work here have worked here since the show started, so it is like a really big family. It's amazing to be part of that."

Are you at the stage where you could go out for a pint with Schofe and Holly?
Sam: "I'd love to do that!"
Mark: "That would be great, wouldn't it? That would be a right laugh. I don't think I'd dare ask them though. It would be a bit awkward if we said to Phil today, 'Fancy a beer?' And I don't think Holly would drink beer, so we'd maybe have to go for cocktails."

Can you tell us about your new series Glee Club?
Mark: "It starts this Monday, it's all for Comic Relief and we've been doing the audition stages. We've got 18 glee clubs from around the country and in tonight's show, we whittle them down to nine. Then from Tuesday to Thursday we have three semi-finals, before the big grand final on Red Nose Day itself on Friday. We'll find the UK's champion glee group on Red Nose Day."

Does the show take you back to your Pop Idol days?
Mark: "It does actually. When we went and filmed at the auditions, we knew exactly how everyone was feeling and it was weird being on the other side and hosting it."
Sam: "You can certainly empathise with them, can't you?"
Mark: "Yeah, definitely."

We know you guys can sing, but can you dance?
Sam: "No, we're pretty terrible. Last year for Sport Relief, we did Let's Dance and we did Wham!. If you watch that back, you'll understand why we don't dance!"
Mark: "All in the name of charity we did it, and we were pretty bad at it!"
Sam: "Not the best, that's for sure. We'll stick to the ballads and the day job for now, thanks!"

You still look very young, but is there a cut-off point where you can't do children's TV anymore?
Mark: "Oh, bless ya! I think it's like a bus pass,isn't it? When you start looking too old, the kids will notice and they'll say, 'I don't want them on my telly'. We'll have to, at that point, branch out into big adult TV. But if we've got good children's programmes on the table, we'll always look at it. We don't want to ostracise our audience and we want to take them with us. The kids will grow up at the same time as us."
Sam: "You want it to be a natural thing for us moving into more adult entertainment, but I don't think there's as many rules now. You look at Rufus Hound, Paddy McGuinness and Richard Hammond, they've all done kids' TV. I don't think people see the difference between kids' shows and adult shows anymore."

Do you want to follow a similar path to Holly Willoughby and Ant & Dec?
Mark: "Yeah, of course. Phil Schofield as well, he was a children's TV presenter. I think there is a natural progression, but I think you need to have a bit of kid in you to be good on telly. You need that sense of fun and it doesn't matter what age group you are broadcasting for. If you are funny, you're funny."

Is there any chance of a Sam & Mark music comeback?
Mark: "Absolutely not!"
Sam: "I don't think we'd want to put that on anybody. We've both enjoy doing it for fun now, but presenting is definitely our job and we'll leave the singing professionally."

Do you still dabble in the singing? Any karaoke?
Mark: "Oh God, yeah! Our love of music will never dwindle. That's why we got on TV in the first place and Pop Idol was a huge stepping stone for both of us. But the music industry is not ready for a Sam & Mark comeback just yet!"

Is it right you're doing the London Marathon this year, Mark?
Mark: "I am. Stupidly. I did 20 miles a few days ago and I'm still sore from that. I'm doing it for charity and I'm not looking at a time, I'm just hoping I can have a few drinks at the end."

How come you are doing it on your own?
Mark: "I don't want to answer this."
Sam: "I'm no long-distance runner. It's something Mark has wanted to do, the marathon, but it doesn't appeal to me. I thought I'd let him do it and enjoy it, and I'll sit in the VIP area with a cup of tea."
Mark: "That sounds like the best option. I might join you."

Comic Relief Does Glee Club starts tonight at 5.15pm on BBC One. This Morning continues on weekdays at 10.30am on ITV1.

Will you be watching Glee Club? Are you Sam and Mark fans? Leave your opinions in the box below!