Paddy McGuinness tops list of most influential UK game show hosts

New analysis has revealed that Paddy McGuinness is the most influential UK game show host on Instagram.
The study conducted by SolitaireBliss analysed Instagram profiles of the presenters and marketing calculators to determine how influential the game show hosts are on social media.
Paddy McGuinness takes the top spot, potentially earning £4,129.02 per sponsored post. Born in Bolton, Manchester, Paddy is best known for hosting popular dating game show Take Me Out from 2010-2019. Paddy became a firm favourite on our screens, which led to job offers presenting game shows such as Catchpoint, Benchmark, Take Me Out, I Can See Your Voice, Question of Sport and Amazing Greys. He made his first television appearance in 1995 as a contestant on TV show God’s Gift, presented by #3 on the list, Davina McCall.
The TV star is making a fortune thanks to his Instagram following of 2 million, where Paddy can expect to earn an average of £4,129.02 per sponsored Instagram post. This would mean that Paddy would need to post thirty one sponsored posts to cover the cost of his new Porsche Taycan Turbo – priced at £125,000. Paddy’s popularity with viewers led to additional TV opportunities where he now co-presents the fan favourite, Top Gear, alongside Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris, which contributed to his increase in influence.
Keith Lemon, real name Leigh Francis, is the second most influential UK game show host, with an Instagram following of 1.8 million which comes mostly from his hit ITV game shows Celebrity Juice and Through the Keyhole. As one of the top game show hosts in the country, Leigh can make an average of £3,688.73 per sponsored Instagram post. Born in Leeds, Keith started his television career after being discovered by #3 on the list, Davina McCall, while he was performing stand-up comedy. Now, Keith Lemon still presents on our screens today where he hosts Celebrity Juice, with season 26 now airing on ITV2.
Davina McCall, born in Wimbledon, London, is the third most influential UK game show host and only female presenter in the top ten. With an Instagram following of 1.5 million, Davina can expect to make an average of £3,086.50 per sponsored post. Her television career began in 1992 presenting on MTV, which eventually led to her first game show hosting gig for God’s Gift in 1996. Since then, Davina went on to host a number of game shows such as The Million Pound Drop, The Vault, Don’t Try This at Home, Prickly Heat, Five Minutes to a Fortune, Oblivious, and One Hundred and Eighty. Davina is also well-known for her 10 year stint presenting Big Brother, celebrity fitness DVDs and more recently for her appearance as guest judge on The Masked Singer UK, all contributing to her overall popularity and influence.
The fourth most influential UK game show host is Bradley Walsh. Bradley has a total Instagram following of 915,000 and can potentially earn an average of £2,800.63 per sponsored post. With an engagement rate of 2.92%, he has the highest level of user engagement out of the top ten. Born and raised in Watford, London, Bradley started as a professional football player for Brentford, before ankle injuries led to the end of his early career. Following this, he worked at Pontins as a bluecoat before being recruited by ITV to present his first game show, Midas Touch in 1997. Most known for hosting viewer’s favourite The Chase, winner of Most Popular Daytime Programme at the National Television Awards three times, and Beat the Chasers. Bradley has also hosted a number of other game shows such as Take Off with Bradley & Holly, Blankety Blank, Cash Trapped, Keep It in the Family, No. 1 Soap Fan, Odd One In and Spin Star.
At number five is Bolton-born Vernon Kay. With 715,000 Instagram followers, he can earn a potential average of £2,183.56 per sponsored post. Presenter of the iconic game show All Star Family Fortunes, Kay has a list of presenter credits on other game shows such as Beat the Star, Game of Talents, Hit Me Baby One More Time, Million Dollar Mind Game, Boys and Girls, Beat the Star, The Whole 19 Yards and 1000 Heartbeats. Vernon is also known for his career as a radio presenter, his appearance on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and his marriage to presenter and model Tess Daly.
Magician and former children’s TV presenter Stephen Mulhern ranks at number six. Stephen has 628,000 Instagram followers which can net him a potential £1,904.62 on average per sponsored post. As the youngest member of the Magic Circle, Mulhern made his first TV appearance as a child on Blue Peter. Before becoming host of the long-running game show favourite Catchphrase, Mulhern had established a successful career in children’s TV. Stephen has also been the host for past game shows In for a Penny, Rolling In It, Catchphrase, Big Star’s Little Star, Reality Bites, Globo Loco, Magic Numbers and Pick Me!
Ben Shepherd is the seventh most influential host and earns an estimated £1,531.92 per sponsored post based on his half a million Instagram followers. Ben is known for presenting game show favourites Tipping Point, The Krypton Factor, Ninja Warrior UK, 1 vs 100 as well as Safebreakers and Who Dares Sings! Tipping Point is on weekdays at 4pm on ITV and is celebrating its-10 year anniversary.
The eighth most influential game show host is Jason Manford. With 359,000 Instagram followers, Jason can earn a potential £1,096.20 per sponsored post. Born in Salford, he started his career as a radio presenter in Manchester before becoming team captain on 8 Out of Ten Cats. As well as performing stand-up comedy and acting, Manford is known for presenting game shows such as Unbeatable and What Would Your Kid Do? Bigheads, The Complaints Department and First & Last. This number is likely to increase as he is expected to return as a panel judge alongside Sheridan Smith, Beverly Knight and Adam Lambert on new ITV show Starstruck, which has just been renewed for season two after season one received hit ratings with 4.3m at its debut.
Nick Knowles, at number nine, has 320,000 Instagram followers and can earn an estimated £980.55 per sponsored post. Nick first came to attention as host of DIY SOS which he has been presenting for 23 years, and is now known mostly for hosting BBC game shows such as Break the Safe, 5-Star Family Reunion, Guesstimation, Judgemental, Perfection and Who Dares Wins. Last year Nick, who lives in Cirencester, was replaced by comedian Rhod Gilbert on a Children In Need special of DIY SOS when he breached BBC rules when he appeared as a builder in an advert for Shreddies.
Rounding off the list at number ten is Shane Richie. With 251,000 Instagram followers, Shane can now potentially earn £767.30 per sponsored post. Known for his portrayal of Alfie Moon in EastEnders, Shane has become known for presenting game shows such as Win Your Wish List, Run the Risk, Reflex, Lucky Numbers, Don’t Forget the Lyrics, Decimate and Win, Lose or Draw.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from SolitaireBliss said: “The UK has always been obsessed with game shows and as a nation it has produced some TV classics. These hosts are a familiar face that we welcome into our homes every night, so it is no surprise how influential they become. Where we once had a generation of game show stars such as Cilla Black and Bruce Forsyth, we have a new era of hosts that can reach us at any time thanks to their social media presence.”