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.