Ready to Deal, Denyer finds his groove in game shows.

For a long time Grant Denyer wasn’t sure if game shows and quiz shows were his bag.

The former Sunrise weatherman and avid motorhead had hosted variety shows such as Australia’s Got Talent and It Takes Two when he was asked to front Seven quiz Million Dollar Minute. But after less than a year he  quit the show.

“I’m not a quiz show guy. I don’t want to do trivia or geography, world politics ain’t me. That was a misfire decision by me to take on Million Dollar Minute. That’s kinda not where I was at creatively or as a presenter,” he tells TV Tonight.

“It didn’t spark a fire in my belly. I was young and that was a rookie mistake for me to say yes to that gig. Look, we can’t go through our careers flawlessly… it’s a great show I was just the wrong person.

“I wasn’t sure if I was a game show guy and then Family Feud took me all the way to the top, including that gorgeous Gold Logie, of which I’m still very proud. It still makes me smile when I when I think about it.

“I could muck around and bring that ‘silly'”

“With Family Feud, I could kind of be myself. I could muck around and bring that ‘silly,’… I’m not a serious guy.”

Indeed, with Family Feud both Denyer and 10 had a four year run at 6pm -where both parties now hope to rejuvenate a timeslot with a Deal or No Deal reboot.

The show ran for a decade on Seven. On 10, the show has been given the ‘shiny floor’ treatment in a half hour version.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be great and I’m bloody loving it”

“We’ve reduced the amount of cases from 26 to 22  …to allow a little bit more room for it to breathe and just be a bit more playful. There’s a bit more heart and humanity in there. It’s kind of surprised me actually. I was expecting it to be good, but I wasn’t expecting it to be great and I’m bloody loving it,” he assures.

“I was a bit nervous taking over a format that had been hosted by somebody else. How do I make it different? How do I make it bigger, better? …. but I know we’ve absolutely nailed it.”

“It’s the loudest, the wildest crowd I’ve ever had”

Amongst the other changes, there are no more glamorous models holding cases Meghan Markle-style, but audience and family members now opening the cases.

“That means everyone’s really invested in the room. I gotta be honest, it’s the loudest, the wildest crowd I’ve ever had making a TV show. It’s like a rock concert sometimes,” he continues.

“Everyone remembers the show pretty fondly, and they’re excited that it’s back. Hopefully that’s a good sign of things to come.”

“There is no harder time slot”

Yet while the show is strategically scheduled to boost the audience lead-in to The Project, it is up against stiff competition in Seven News and Nine News bulletins. Can we say alternative, perhaps?

“There is no harder time slot,” Denyer concedes. “News (bulletins) have been powerhouses for a generation, people have bolted on to the 6pm time slot for their news fix and that ain’t gonna change overnight.

“Having networks all providing the same genre and content at the exact same time, it’s smart to be the one who’s not playing in that space.

“As the world gets a little darker and scarier, not all families are going to want to have that on in their lounge room at six o’clock as they’re preparing dinner and getting ready to sit down to eat together. I like kind of being that little island where families can go and have it on in the background. You can yell and scream and watch great Australians win big money, but you’re also not going to see and hear anything that you don’t want your kids to be exposed to.”

“I had the same concerns”

On Monday 10 hits the reset button, as anyone who has watched the network lately will be well aware. Heavy promotion with a dancing Denyer have been on high rotation. Even our trusty host admits to having concerns about their frequency over the summer period.

“I had the same concerns but I didn’t want to annoy everyone … But if we’re putting our flag in the sand against the other game shows and going, ‘Who are we? What are we?’ You know, fun, is what we are. The others are pretty straight, they take themselves quite seriously.”

He adds, “For me, growing up with a single mum, we were doing it tough but television was a really nice form of escapism. I kind of like silly and I like taking people’s mind off their troubles. You don’t have to worry about struggling to pay your bills, or whatever is happening in some conflict zone. You can just come to us and we’ll give you a laugh, we’ll give you a great time and we’ll make you feel good.”

Deal or No Deal begins 6pm Monday on 10.

Amended.