'This Is Not Spicks & Specks' - Host Of New Aus Music Quiz Show On Those Comparisons

As the anticipation grows ahead of this weekend's premiere of new Aussie music quiz show, The Big Music Quiz, host Darren McMullen has played down comparisons of the programme to beloved TV show, Spicks & Specks.

Similar to the ABC TV show which was hosted by Aussie comic Adam Hills and ran from 2005-2011, The Big Music Quiz features eight celebrities who face off in individual and team challenges through a series of rounds, however speaking to theMusic, McMullen says it is a different product.

"I’ve watched a few episodes of Spicks & Specks only after I started doing this show actually, because people would always draw those conclusions and I didn’t feel that it was the same," he says.

"The Big Music Quiz is very, very high energy… there is that panel show element and that comedy element to it brought by the different guests, but it feels like it’s a much grander show, in a way.

"Not to say that it’s a better show. I mean, Spicks & Specks was a great show, but [The Big Music Quiz] is a grander show. It feels big, it feels like an event."

A mixture of celebrities from music, film, comedy, sport and more have been confirmed to appear on the first season including Rebel Wilson, The Angels and Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson, Joel Creasey, Ella Hooper, Lawrence Mooney and many more. 

"You definitely have to know your music and it is quite tough," McMullen continues. 

"Nobody is really judging you if you don’t get the answer right and it’s a bit more of a laugh, I guess. It’s not as serious in that way.

"We have people on there who know absolutely nothing about music and that became quite funny. It becomes more interesting because you’ve got such diverse people on there and then there was people that knew loads about music and for whatever reason had a brain meltdown when their turn came around and they weren’t able to answer any questions, which is also funny."

Having hosted on The Voice for four seasons, as well as being a former VJ on MTV a few years back, the 34-year-old presenter believes the need for music-centric shows in Australia is essential. 

"When I heard the news about Channel [V] it was quite a sad moment, because obviously the majority of stuff on MTV these days is anything but music and the powers that be will tell you that it’s because people don’t watch music television anymore but I don’t think the statistics are there to back them up," he says.

"When I’m out and about, certainly when I worked at MTV, people would be like ‘Why don’t you play more music?’ and the generic response I gave was ‘Because people don’t watch music shows’. I think there is a need for it there."

McMullen reveals that one of the reasons he signed up for the show was because it felt like nostalgic television. 

"It’s a throwback to what TV used to be like when I was growing up.

"It’s not reality television. There’s enough of that on and this is a great alternative to people that don’t want to watch that. It’s just good wholesome family fun.

The Big Music Quiz premieres on Channel Seven this Sunday night at 7pm.