As Eggheads settles into its new home on Channel 5, presenter Jeremy Vine tells Danielle de Wolfe of his most memorable moments this series.

Attracting some of the sharpest minds in the quizzing world, daytime television staple Eggheads is fast approaching a major milestone.

A 2,000th episode-shaped milestone to be precise.

Built upon the premise that outsmarting a panel of professional quizzers to win a large pot of cash feels, to put it simply, incredibly satisfying, the show's popularity can only be likened to that of long-running daytime Channel 4 rival Countdown.

"It's this peculiar thing," says presenter Jeremy Vine with a wry smile. "You love the Eggheads, but secretly you want them to lose."

With the professional quizzers (known affectionately as Eggheads) vying to keep their reputations intact against teams made up of families, friends and amateur quiz enthusiasts, the show's appeal is one that transcends the generations.

Now entering its 22nd series and with Vine, 56, continuing at the helm, the show, which began back in 2003, has made a dramatic post-pandemic leap from BBC Two to a brand new home on Channel 5.

A move that came after the show took a year's hiatus from our screens, Vine - best known for presenting the BBC's flagship current affairs show Panorama and long-running comment show Points Of View - says he was relieved to finally share the news.

"Everything is the same, which I love," says Vine. "Bless Channel 5, it's like they're holding a very expensive Ming vase and not dropping it is the key.

"The last year or two at the Beeb, we were regularly the most watched show on BBC Two. So there was never any point to tailing off viewers - the opposite, actually.

"Anecdotally I keep being asked when it's coming back, so at last I've got an answer. I'm so excited."

Given the risk-heavy nature of such a quiz show, where considerable sums of money often hinge on incredibly obscure titbits of general knowledge, you would be forgiven for thinking contestants regularly buckle under the pressure.

Not so says Vine, who says: "A lot of people just enjoy the experience and it's really nice to see.

"As long as you don't mind losing, you've probably got a good chance of winning."

That being said, Vine does vividly recall one hair-raising moment that came about as a result of filming one of the most recent episodes.

Based at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, where the series is now filmed, Vine, an avid cyclist, tells how he took it upon himself to quell the nerves of one anxious family with the help of his favoured two-wheeled mode of transport.

"One of the team members was a bit anxious," begins Vine, "and so we thought we'd take a little break to make sure it was OK.

"I said, 'well, I've got my Penny Farthing, so why don't we just have a bit of distraction?

"Shall I just ride the Penny Farthing around?"

Admitting that he "hadn't really given it enough thought", Vine goes on to describe how he found himself riding the Victorian-era bicycle around the foyer of the television studios only to forget a vital piece of information...

"I suddenly realised that I'd completely forgotten how to get down," remembers the presenter in a somewhat exasperated tone.

"I really couldn't remember (whether) you go with your left foot or your right foot first. And they were looking and laughing and I was gradually getting more and more serious, I had a complete blank on how to get off this thing!"

Noting how he was on the verge of "calling out for help" before eventually figuring out a way to dismount, Vine describes the incident as "probably the weirdest experience of my entire broadcast career".

With the draw of a potential victory against a panel of professional quizzers proving too great for some contestants, the move to Channel 5 has now enabled teams who came within inches of victory to return in the hope of a dramatic reprisal.

It is a rejig that Egghead and former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire jackpot winner Judith Keppel agrees with, reasoning that it adds an "interesting" new angle to the show.

"We've had a lot of people who have been on it before having a second go at it, which was quite fun," says the 79-year-old quizzer.

"Returning teams are a completely new thing," agrees Vine.

"We realise some people feel like they were one question away from winning and if they gave it one more heave, they could do it. And it's great to see."

"I rather like the idea of coming back several times in a row - people get to know them, particularly the family teams," continues Keppel.

"I love a mother, father and three kids coming, which sometimes happens, or a grandfather, parents, and children."

"It would be rather nice if they came back three or four times and then you get to know them" she finishes. "It's rather like Gogglebox!"

Eggheads returns to Channel 5 on Monday, October 4.