Victoria Coren Mitchell Hair: After being approached to direct the pilot episode of a weird little television quiz show called Only Connect, Victoria Coren Mitchell (or Victoria Coren as she was known at the time) was furious and refused.
I’m not interested in hosting a quiz,’ I said emphatically, claiming that I am intelligent! I let out a yell. ‘I’m not going to be a quiz show host! Novels are on the horizon for me. No, I am not Lennie Bennett [the pinnacle of cheesy television presenter cheese].’ Consequently, I said quite loftily, “OK, I’ll host the pilot, but I’m definitely not doing a series.”
Even if reading this makes Victoria Coren Mitchell seem somewhat insane, this should not be seen as a reflection on her. She’s fun, a good laugh, voluble, pleasant, and self-deprecating, but not in a showbizzy manner that says, “Look at me, am I not being self-deprecating, please love me,” but rather in a “please love me” sort of way.
Her Only Connect introduction is a self-deprecating tale she recounts about how she fell in love with the most inquisitive, charming, smart, and just plain odd quiz she’d ever seen in her life. I of course did the pilot, and I was completely sucked in right away; I really liked it. The moment the game went to a series, I was clawing at the door, begging to be allowed in.”
Back in 2008, the BBC4 show Only Connect, in which teams must identify the most obscure and abstract links between topics, established a niche among the television viewing public. As soon as it was found, an adoring crowd showed their love, which seemed to go on forever. With crowds exceeding two million in 2014, Only Connect has deemed such an out-of-left-field success that BBC2 stuffed its cushions, and Only Connect made itself comfy on Mondays at 8.30 pm following University Challenge. This week marks the beginning of the 12th season.
Robert Moth made the following connection between her wig and her look last week: “The spectacles were only a few weeks ago, and now the wig… Is this a job assigned by a taskmaster? Is this a recurring question of ‘what’s the connection’? #onlyconnect is a pain in the aaaargh.”
“Does Victoria Coren Mitchell’s wig on #onlyconnect have anything to do with taskmaster???” speculated Zoe London, adding to the speculation.
Ravishing Rachel shared her thoughts on the subject: “The way her fringe and layers are positioned, I have a sneaking suspicion that @VictoriaCoren’s new hairdo may be a wig. Perhaps it has anything to do with the #Taskmaster? #OnlyConnect”
@victoriacoren has been robbing Cher’s wig closet, according to @notmyconcern, who simply stated:
Coren Mitchell herself had teased viewers with a tantalizing tweet the day before the broadcast: “Is it possible to identify the moment when Hermione Granger is mistaken for Herman Goering in tonight’s Only Connect? BBC Two at 8 p.m.”
Moreover, it was clear that Coren Mitchell was wearing a wig since she was seen today at the Chelsea Flower Show with ‘natural’ hair.
Thursday, September 23, at 9 p.m., Taskmaster will make his comeback to C4. Victoria Coren Mitchell is one of the competitors in this year’s competition.