When Zoe Lyons took a job as a presenter on BBC2’s Lightning TV competition last year, she felt like she was there.
He eventually joined the ranks of other quiz masters who turned into comedians like Michael McIntyre, Sandi Toksvig, and Jimmy Carr, and after years of comedy shows, he became the lead singer of his own show.
Imagine her horror when a relapse of severe alopecia, which she had since childhood, required her to wear a wig just before filming began. “I think it was the stress of the pandemic,” 50-year-old Zoe sighed.
‘People in this industry are losing their jobs overnight. I was going through menopause and my wife and I were having problems – we started living almost a year apart – and I felt the wheels come off. I probably had a midlife crisis.
Zoe Lyons returns to screen for second run of BBC2 Lightning teatime test
Self-deprecating and naturally funny, he is not afraid to laugh at his misfortune. “It first happened when I was 11 and it was about stress,” she explains.
“My parents separated and then we moved from Surrey to Glasgow which was a big step. My hair started falling out but it was long so I was able to braid it with an elaborate comb to hide the bald spots. Fortunately, everything was back to normal.
This time, Zoe wasn’t so lucky as she kept losing her hair. “It started with a small dot, then continued,” she says.
“I lost all the hair on the back of my head, then the sides fell out. I soon realized that everything would be alright.
“The worst thing is when it comes out with pleasure, when you’re in the shower, or when you’re constantly picking it up.”
As filming for Lightning approached, Zoe realized she had to take this important step. I thought, ‘I must have a wig.
“I know people have to go through a lot more, but this has been difficult. I found a wonderful woman who makes wigs for people with hair loss or undergoing chemotherapy.
Zoe is proudly depicted with hair loss. She says she’s ready for the game show and has a new wig.
“So I got a bob that looked like my real hair with my Mallen lines completed,” he says, referring to the unpigmented episode made famous in ITV’s late 1970s drama The Mallens. “It really helped me feel like myself again.”
Now that he’s back with a second series, he couldn’t be more pleased. The format is simple: a spotlight points to an opponent when answering general knowledge questions, and when one is true, the spotlight turns to another opponent.
When time is up, everyone in the spotlight is eliminated and the last person tries to hit the £3,000 jackpot. Now armed with a wig and a pair of hats, Zoe no longer clings to her career, despite starting at 29.
“I wrote really bad material and started doing open mic nights,” she recalls. “I have a manager and then some concerts.”
Over the past decade, she’s become a familiar face on some of our most popular shows, including Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, and QI, and she’s often been a single woman. “It’s a competitive industry and being the only woman was a little difficult and a little uncomfortable.
“There were times when I was not happy, so I’m happy to say that a lot has changed.” It took a while before they said, ‘We can have more than one wife at a time.’ Maybe they thought we were going shopping?’
He hopes to tour, take acting roles and continue with Lightning this year. “I hope it lasts until I’m 80,” she says. “It’s me in my shiny dress and Farrah Fawcett wig: that’s the dream!”
- Lightning, Mon-Fri, 6:30 PM, BBC2
Source: Daily Mail
