Vicky Coren-Mitchell’s hosting slot on the BBC1 show Have I Got News For You attracted an average of 4.6 million viewers, making it the highest rating TV show of the night, aside from the soap operas.
When Victoria Coren-Mitchell created history by becoming the first player to win two European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event titles, I said that she was one of the most important signings that PokerStars had ever made.
Her role as an author and TV broadcaster, in the UK, resulted in her profile, and PokerStars logo, being seen all over the world. And we’re not just talking about poker news outlets. We are talking about the mainstream press.
This is why online poker organizations hire such people. It’s all in the exposure. But the difference between Coren-Mitchell and, let’s say, Rafael Nadal, is the whole world gets to know that the former is connected with PokerStars. She was never shy about her relationship with PokerStars. She was very proud to be associated with them. Have you ever seen Nadal mentioned outside of a poker news site regarding his sponsorship deal with Stars? Have you ever seen him wearing the Red Spade other than at a poker event?
Coren-Mitchell was something special.
So, when she decided to quit, after Stars announced plans to roll out an online casino, you got the impression that only Stars would lose out. Coren-Mitchell was never going to be short of money, and she could play poker anytime she wanted to. She didn’t need PokerStars to elevate her profile. It was Stars that needed her.
Coren-Mitchell recently wrote on her blog that she was readying herself to host the second episode of a new season of Have I Got News For You. It was a tough slot. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe did a great job in the first episode. But she donned her spectacles and hurled herself into the project alongside the likes of Paul Merton, Ian Hislop and John Prescott.
And what a great job she did.
Not even an Amanda Holden monkey nuts smuggle, on The Graham Norton Show, could get people reaching for the remote control. People tuned in to see Coren-Mitchell in their droves. Digital Spy revealing that it was the highest rated show, outside of the soap operas, with an average of 4.61m viewers tuning in to watch Coren-Mitchell suggesting that a better name for the SNP/Labor coalition would be Cocks and Jocks.
Holden’s nipples only managed to attract the attention of 2.91m viewers.
Like I said, Coren-Mitchell is something special.
