WHAT CAN VIEWERS EXPECT FROM THIS YEAR'S EDITION OF HOW TO SPEND IT AT CHRISTMAS?
THERE are lots of truffle products this year, because apparently it is in vogue. How To Spend It is the best way to watch TV and know how to get the most out of your buck this Christmas – essentially, we will help you spend wisely.
There is absolutely no reason to spend a fortune on major brands when we will find something considerably more affordable.
DID COVID AFFECT FILMING FOR THIS YEAR'S INSTALMENT?
It was difficult this year, but telly is incredibly adaptive and we changed our house. Normally, we are at a lovely house in Surrey, but this time we were at a house in Oxfordshire, and it was a barn because that meant there was more space between everybody.
You won't notice any difference on the telly. We were all in our own bubble and we were tested before we started shooting, and the guests were all tested, so that meant we could all be very close to each other, which was nice.
It's the first time I've shaken hands with someone in a very long time.
WHEN IT CAME TO THE PRODUCTS, DID YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL FAVOURITES?
There are all sorts of things that you see during the course of filming, but, funnily enough, we were looking at food and I adore truffles! I mean, they are such a ridiculously expensive treat, so I hardly ever get to taste them, but nevertheless…
I am there with our chef Matt and he just happened to be slicing truffles – a little bit of shaving here, a little bit of shaving there – and, as fast as he was shaving it, I just might have been nicking bits of truffle and eating them.
WHAT WILL CHRISTMAS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU THIS YEAR?
Christmas will signal the beginning of the end of 2020 – a year that none of us will be sad to see the back of – and hopefully look forward to 2021, where things will begin to get that little bit more normal. We can all creep back, blinking, into the light.
It's difficult to know quite what Christmas is going to be, nobody knows just yet … Maybe it will be amazing because we will be forced to be a little smaller? We'll be forced to adapt our Christmases and we don't know quite who the family will be able to see at Christmas, but human beings are very resourceful.
Whatever Christmas is, well, I am sure we will all make the most of it.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE VIEWERS WILL TAKE AWAY FROM THE SHOW?
After a tough year, it's more important than ever to know how to make your money work for you. Let's make this a Christmas to remember.
:: How To Spend It Well At Christmas airs on ITV at 8.15pm on Tuesday November 17
