John Barrowman to ask if The Kids Are All Right

John Barrowman has yet another new project in the works. The handsome actor and host of Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria will be hosting a new game show, The Kids Are All Right for the BBC. The show will have teams of four friends compete against teams of seven 9-15 year olds in a variety of mental and physical challenges.

The adults-versus-kids angle reminds me of Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? -- except that the difference between Barrowman and Jeff Foxworthy automatically makes The Kids Are All Right a cooler show (similar to how the presence of Barrowman and Graham Norton made Dream and Maria much, much cooler than the American edition, Grease: You're the One that I Want!).

Barrowman frequently turns to blue humor in personal appearances. While we have personalities who turn off their raunchy sense of humor for game shows, too (Bob Saget, anyone?) I suspect American producers would hold a gay man to a different standard, especially on a show with kids. Barrowman is also the star of a sexually charged BBC drama, Torchwood. At the least, I find it interesting that British audiences are expected to be able to tell that one show can be watched by the whole family while the other calls for a more mature audience, American network suits would worry about kids watching Torchwood to see the host of a game or reality show they like.

I think I'm going to head off and watch a few hours of My Hero until I stop feeling jealous of British TV viewers.