Alex Brooker: 'I had a 9-day contract with Channel 4 – it's a privilege to host The Last Leg for 12 years'
The trio of hosts reflect on 12 years of The Last Leg live from Paris.
Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe are taking viewers to Paris as they host The Last Leg live each night across the 2024 Paralympics Games.
Since its inception in 2012, The Last Leg has provided the nation with commentary on significant moments across the week, but they're gearing things up this year as the show airs live in Paris across the Games, giving their unique take on each day's events, along with their usual comedic twists.
In the first instance, The Last Leg initially ran alongside the 2012 Paralympic Games, with Brooker and Widdicombe originally meant to be guests - but it all changed when one of the commissioning editors enjoyed the trio and decided to keep the format audiences know and love.
Hills previously told RadioTimes.com: "The commissioning editor, who we had never seen before, turned up, and he said that the show had potential and he thought the show worked best when all three of us were on camera together.
"So, from that point on, it was Josh, Alex and Adam all together doing The Last Leg."
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It was from then the boys have continued to entertain audiences, which Brooker tells RadioTimes.com is "a privilege".
Speaking exclusively ahead of an episode airing live from Paris, Brooker explained that he originally had signed onto a nine-day contract with Channel 4, and hadn't imagined he'd still be doing the show 12 years later.
"I had a nine-day contract with Channel 4 to do the Paralympic Games and that was it," he explained.
"And I thought I'd go back up to Press Association and be a journalist, and to still be here doing this show 12 years on, to be at the Paralympics again, and to have done as many shows as we've done, I think it's a real privilege."
Reflecting on filming in Paris for the Paralympics, he admitted it felt like "the best thing we can do".
He elaborated: "I love doing the regular shows [but] more often than not we have to talk about some negative stuff, whether it be governments or stuff like budgets and cost of living and things like that.
"And sometimes you have to work to put a positive spin on it, or humorous take on it, to entertain people on a Friday night.
"With this, it's just a celebration. It's a celebration of sports, a celebration of disability, and I just think it's joyous. To me, I just think that the whole thing is just awesome."
With The Last Leg originally starting to accompany the Paralympic Games, the presenter told RadioTimes.com: "I think it's what The Last Leg was at the start. I'm already feeling it now, I think it's brilliant."
Read more:
- Adam Hills on the Paralympics and how The Last Leg broke down stigma
- Paralympics 2024 highlights: What time is Channel 4 highlights show?
Widdicombe echoed Brooker's sentiment, explaining that doing this format of The Last Leg allows the trio to reflect on the journey they've been on together.
"It's almost like we live our lives in four-yearly things, like Olympians and Paralympians or international footballers.
"You go, 'This is our big moment,' [and] it reminds me a lot of how different our lives are today versus in 2012, which is kind of great."
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The Last Leg is available to watch on Channel 4.
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