TV review: All Star Mr & Mrs

I've not watched it since so I was interested to see how it has changed over the years.

The latest British incarnation of the long-running programme still uses the cheesy winning formula that was first created in Canada in 1963 but has been souped up with added celebrities and more glitz now included in the mix.

Today's host, Phillip Schofield, is a much different presence to that of original UK host Derek Batey who sadly died in February aged 84.

Schofield's natural and charming character is perfect for this family show as he quickly puts the couples at ease and coaxes plenty of entertaining anecdotes out of the contestants. It's a far cry from Batey's day and the mainly dull ordinary couples he had to deal with during his long run of 450 shows.

But the basic structure of the family-friendly show remains the same with married couples first separated while one partner is questioned and the other blindfolded and unable to hear the answers with headphones playing music into their ears. The partner then has to exactly match their other half's answers.

Last night's new season opener was won by Coronation Street couple Julie Hesmondhaigh and her husband Ian Kershaw, who have been together for a dozen years and have been married for 10.

They won £20,000 for a homelessness charity in her home town thanks to her knowing that his first childhood crush was on children's TV favourite Sooty's girlfriend Soo.

The actor's revelation prompted the best one liner of the night from Schofield, recalling his long ago presenting partner Gordon the Gopher: "You're not the first one to have a relationship with a glove puppet."

It was clear that this happy couple, who have two children, have a really happy marriage and know each other very well, only getting two questions wrong.

All Star Mr & Mrs is undemanding but still entertaining fare with all the couples clearly enjoying the experience of a light-hearted grilling about their relationships.

The other contestants last night were Hairy Biker Dave Myers and McFly singer and guitarist Tom Fletcher and their respective partners.

Myers, who met his Romanian wife Lil while filming in Transylvania in 2005, revealed how he is prone to sleepwalking and how she once woke to find him 'sleep cooking' presenting an imaginary show stark naked to the back of a wardrobe.

Fletcher, who married his childhood sweetheart Giovanna last year, faced a real dilemma when asked to say whether he would most like to change her looks, personality or family. He fortunately persuaded Schofield to add in his choice of her sneezing, which she easily guessed avoiding the risk of an early divorce.

There is plenty of fun in the show and it is clear that the marriages of celebrity couples are much like those of ordinary folk.

The crystal-encrusted carriage clocks that each particpating couple receive for taking part in Mr & Mrs are a symbol of just what this cute and cuddly show, now in the fifth season in its celebrity format, is all about.

John Corser