Melvin Odoom has brushed off comparisons between ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and his most recent show ‘Lego Masters’.
The former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestant presided over the building competition, which many fans affectionately dubbed ‘The Great British Brick Off’ due to its similarities to ‘Bake Off’.
However, Melvin has insisted the two shows are actually rather different, despite ‘Lego Masters’ having borrowed format points.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, Melvin said: “It’s an honour to be compared to ‘Bake Off’, because it’s one of the biggest shows on TV, but there’s actually quite a lot different about ‘Lego Masters’.
“Obviously we’re dealing with Lego and not cakes, but also everything doesn’t happen in the tent. We’ve also got teams of individual contestants, and the final thing is, we’ve got kids up against adults - that doesn’t happen in ‘Bake Off’.
“It’s been massively compared to ‘Bake Off’, but if people want to compare us, that’s all good. Thank you very much. It’s like comparing me to Prince or Stevie Wonder. I’ll take that.”
Melvin also addressed some backlash from viewers who pointed out having children going up against adults didn’t make for a fair competition.
The presenter insisted it was an “even playing field” due to the advantage of imagination that the younger contestants had.
“The one thing you can’t take away from the youngsters is that they have an amazing and immense imagination,” he explained. “Adults grow out of that, so it puts them on an even playing field.
“We’re not asking people to build stuff out of boxes or with instructions - it all has to come from the mind.
“The young people had some really great ideas that were on par with the adults.”
He added: “Lego is also something that is across the board - it’s not just for adults.”
Melvin also spoke of his hope ‘Lego Masters’ would return for a second series, after the first one proved to be a surprise hit for Channel 4, after concluding last week.
“I’m always the last to find out about these things, but the feedback online and from people out and about has been really good, so I’m hoping it comes back,” he said.
“But until I sign on the dotted line, I never say anything.”
Melvin presents ‘My Hotter Half’ on Wednesdays at 8pm on E4.
