QA: Adrian Chiles

Match of the Day 2, The One Show, Sport Relief. Do you ever get a lie-in?

I’m not all that busy. Live telly is easy. You go in, you do your stuff and you go home. It’s not as bad as it looks.

What are you doing for Sport Relief?

Me and Alan Shearer are cycling from Newcastle to London via West Bromwich, against the clock, in two days. It’s about 375 miles so it’s going to be a close call.

How’s the training going?

I’ve got a turbo trainer bike which I use at home and I cycled about 80 miles from Hammersmith to Stow-on-the-Wold last weekend.

Did you cycle back?

No, I got the train.

Right, back to football. How good have West Brom been this season?

Don’t start. I’m sick of people telling me that we’re the best team in the Championship. We’ve been scoring a lot of goals but I’m a natural pessimist and all I can foresee is defeat in the play-offs final.

Gary Lineker is a hit with the ladies on Match of the Day. Do you have the same problem on MOTD2?

Not unless you count a couple of gay blokes and a 70-year-old woman.

Who’s got the better pundits, you or Lineker?

I’ve got no complaints with Lee Dixon and Gavin Peacock. I haven’t got a clue about how to read the game but luckily I’ve got Lee and Gavin to clear the fog.

What’s the food like at Lee’s Indian restaurant?

I’ve never been. I don’t think it’s open any more.

Were you really approached by MI5 to become a spy?

Yes, but it was a long, long time ago. After university I narrowly failed the Civil Service exams and a couple of weeks later I was contacted by MI5 to see if I was interested in applying for a job. I had a very long interview and I had to sign the Official Secrets Act. They said thanks but no thanks, which was lucky because I would have been a bloody useless spy.

The One Show gets nearly 6 million viewers. What’s all the fuss about?

It’s fast and furious but there’s not much sport. I’ve got a nice-looking woman presenting it with me, so that could be the secret of its success.

Finally, how’s the book doing?

Writing We Don’t Know What We’re Doing was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It took me about two years to finish. It’s about a year in the life of West Brom fans, which I promise is more exciting than it sounds.

Interview by Kaveh Solhekol