Twenty Questions: Steve Regan, Hello Mary

SO WHO THE HELL IS MARY?

There are two stories. The emotional version is that when my daughter was about three, we put up some pictures of friends and family members outside her bedroom on what we (affectionately) called ‘the wall of death’. When a butterfly came by in the garden Matilda would say, “hello Mary” – Mary had been my favourite aunt.

But the more real reason was years ago, gay people used a secret language called Polari and if you saw an attractive man you’d say, “hello Mary”. I like the idea that we say it any time someone calls the office.

WHAT IS HELLO MARY’S USP?

We want some humour to come through in our programmes; I don’t want anything to feel too much like hard work. Even if the subject matter we choose is challenging, for Hello Mary it has to read as an entertaining idea. As soon as you hear one of our titles, you can get what that programme is about.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?

All the diets I plan to start the very next day. Every night I go to bed telling myself, ‘don’t eat bread tomorrow.’ The next day, I can’t stop eating the stuff.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANT?

I’ve recently moved to Brighton and there’s a place on the seafront called The Copper Clam that I am in love with. It’s the only place I suggest we go to eat.

FAVOURITE SHOP?

Aesop. How gay is that? I love their moisturiser and I have to say, I look younger for using it!

FAVOURITE DRINK?

Coffee and white wine. I’m very much a child of the1990s and still tend to buy Pinot Grigio but as I’m getting older, I increasingly go for an organic one.

HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK DO YOU WORK?

Even when I stop work, I’m still thinking about it. Workloads in TV tend to be horrific or dull but I am getting better about not feeling bad during quieter periods. Working all the hours doesn’t always mean you’re producing your very best work.

WHO GAVE YOU YOUR FIRST CAREER BREAK?

One of the first people to employ me in TV was the lovely Leslie Davies at Initial. She gave me one of the biggest bollockings of my career but it was a bollocking given with care. She told me not to waste the opportunity as I might not get another, and to work harder and smarter. Everything she said was right and I listened. I’ll always be grateful to her.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?

I get to mostly choose the people I work with and we dictate the ideas we put out. It’s a collaborative process which working at a channel often isn’t.

WHICH SHOW ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Ex on the Beach because MTV was a small digital channel that wasn’t being watched at the time. We commissioned two shows, Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach, and they both went massive. Ex on the Beach went around the world.

BIGGEST TV PICKLE YOU’VE GOT YOURSELF INTO?

I get into a pickle about four times a month. I was an AP on Miss World and one of my jobs was to find a gorgeous female co-host for Jerry Springer. A woman came across my desk that was known for being Ricky Martin’s ‘girlfriend’. We flew her over to the UK and on the night of live [transmission], we realised she couldn’t really speak much English. Let’s just say she didn’t get a lot of screen time.

MOST DIVA-ISH MOMENT YOU’VE WITNESSED WORKING IN TV?

I’ve seen a lot of bad behaviour but the thing that annoys me the most is a certain type of person that works in television who constantly tells you how creative they are and actually, they’re not.

FAVOURITE TV SHOWS?

The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills; The Real Housewives of Potomac; First Dates and First Dates Hotel but the show I love the most at the moment is a drama showing on Disney+ called The Old Man.

FAVOURITE PLACE TO HAVE FUN?

My couch on a Friday night. I sit with my partner, we drink some wine and watch the telly.

FIRST RECORD EVER BOUGHT?

Frankie by Sister Sledge.

MOST USED EXPRESSION?

I will run a marathon next year.

WHO ARE THE THREE GREATEST LIVING MUSICIANS?

Ennio Morricone, Madonna and Marvin Gaye.

DREAM DINNER PARTY GUESTS?

I’d have a BBQ and my guests would be split between high and low. Actress Isabelle Huppert for high and Makosi from Big Brother for low. I like mixing high and low. It’s the middle I have a problem with.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I’d like to be 6’3”. I’m only 5’10”.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN LIFE?

Being in a relationship with my partner Marcus that will be 25 years long next year. We’re probably even happier now than when we first got together. The older I get, the more I value our relationship.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REINCARNATED?

I wouldn’t. I’m done.

LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

I cried at the cinema on Saturday watching the Black Panther 2 trailer. It’s brilliant. My daughter, 13, finds me weak and sensitive and told me so.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS

Grudge holder extraordinaire.

ANY PET PEEVES?

I have a real issue with the new queer generation.

I don’t like the rebranding that gay people have gone through as queer. In fact, I loathe it. We didn’t need a rebrand; we got one that I never asked for. Nobody is allowed to be offended any more, and why have Pret decided to change their egg mayonnaise sandwich? Oh, and slow walkers…

WHO WOULD YOU LEAST LIKE TO GET STUCK IN A LIFT WITH?

All the presenters from Good Morning Britain. I have a hatred of them. They make the whole nation feel awful for three hours every morning. Susanna Reid is particularly exhausting, in my opinion.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

We are working on an exciting series with historian Suzannah Lipscomb, coming out early next year.

To learn more about Hello Mary TV, visit their website at https://hellomary.co.uk/