Family Feud Hosted by Douglas Lim Is a Triumphant Return of English Programming to TV

90's kids will remember the glory days of local English programming on TV. We had plenty of English-language reality series like One in a Million, Malaysian Idol, The Firm, and So You Think You Can Dance. In between these were many English variety shows like G-thang and Latte@8, the latter of which was this writer's favourite, to say nothing of the legendary Kopitiam.

Now, after what feels like forever, we finally have one English show on TV again and it's apt that the star of the most popular English series on TV back then would also host the only English game show on TV right now.

We're speaking of course, of Douglas Lim who now hosts Family Feud Malaysia English edition. We spoke to the actor and comedian about his turn as a host, the preparation that goes into hosting, and how he feels he has grown as an entertainer having added gameshow host to his resume:

Rojak Daily: For audiences at home, what is filming an episode of Family Feud Malaysia (FFM) like?

Douglas Lim: It's a fairly simple show to shoot but the fun comes from the premise. The two teams strategising and facing disagreements can be funny. And when there's extreme competition between the teams it can also be funny. We had athletes coming who were very competitive. These sports people, they fight for everything. As a host it was not too compicated, but it's definitely exciting.

RD: How does game show hosting compare to standup?

DL: In stand up it’s me and I’m not really talking to anyone and I rarely banter. Whereas hosting, it’s not about me, it’s about the audience, contestants and their answers. I can’t for example, do comedy bits based on their answers. The comedy angle for FFM would be a reaction to their answers.

It's not about Douglas Lim, it’s about me using my skills as a comedian to try and get the comedy from the answers and the contestants.

RD: What preparation goes into hosting episodes?

DL: The biggest preparation for me is to know the name of the teams, the contestants, and a brief background of what they do and what they're known for. It can be a bit confusing because you have 4 on one side and 4 on the other and sometimes, the team names are the weirdest names that don't make sense and are difficult to pronounce.

There were moments that got quite chaotic and contestants would leave their positions and go somewhere else. I'm all for expression and I would like to see it. The problem is, we have cameras, and if you get very excited and run out of the studio, very good, but I got no camera outside of the studio. So I'm trying to manage the game and at the same time manage the contestants. Then I've got the camera director screaming in my ear "Get them back, I've got no camera there!"

The most diffcult episode to shoot was the one between Family Feud Bahasa team and Family Feud Tamil. Nabil and Dr Ram are hosts so they know how to play the game, so they refuse to listen-lah. So they purposely gave me trouble just to see how I would handle it. I was sweating so much in that episode.

RD: How do you feel you've grown as an entertainer after hosting FFM English

DL: I’ve always wanted to host a game show. Growing up, I enjoyed game shows more than reality shows. Shows like Family Feud, The Chaser, Money Drop, and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, have always appealed to me because those game shows allowed for a host with a comedy background to really flourish.

I never would have imagined at 46, to have Family Feud land in Malaysia and to have Astro offer it to me. It’s more than a bucket list to me, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and to be given this opportunity is really nice of them. I hope I've managed to deliver.

RD: If you could go back in time to the Kopitiam days and speak to young Douglas, what would you say to him to get him ready for where his career would go?

DL: I think first thing I would tell young Douglas would be, "Not everything is about you, you don’t have to be so arrogant and impatient." I would tell him to make more friends in the industry.

Because let's be honest, talent is just one part of the equation of success. I think when you are someone with talent, and other people have said you are talented, it’s easy to think that that’s all that’s necessary.

You will think "I can be rude, I can be impatient, and I don't need friends-lah. What for, I'm very talented". I'd say, wait-lah 20 years later and you learn your lesson the hard way. Now I look back with enough foresight, my entry to the industry was very lucky, I was very fortunate. When I was that age, I didn't think I was lucky, I just thought I was that good.

I was 19 when I shot Kopitiam, and suddenly, the first thing you shoot becomes successful, that's not how people start their careers in acting. And then I was nominated for the Best Actor award at the Asian Television Awards. It was a lot for a young person to take and all that goes to your head. My behaviour in the years immediately after that was quite... well, if i was directing me, I would fire me. That would be the most apt description.

RD: What was your turning point?

DL: Getting fired-lah! They [the production he was in] had me for one season and discontinued my contract, they were very nice about it, they came and told me what the problem was: "You did a good job, but the problem is, you're not nice to be around".

I've slowly turned my behavior around, but sometimes I can still be impatient. But nowadays it's easier because we have handphones.

RD: Thanks for sharing that, let's move on to a more lighthearted question. Steve Harvey has an endless supply of suits. Did you get a budget for suits as well?

DL: I was not given a budget for suits, but my designer, I think was [given a budge]. The designer for the show got me some really cool suits and some really nice combinations. They didn't just look good, they felt good.

A lot of times when I do shows, they give me a costume that's tight in weird places. This one, he measured me perfectly and I think he went to a tailor and they just fit me so well.

Editor's Note: We asked him if he took any of the suits home, to which he said "No-lah!". We suggested he put it in his contract for next season that he be allowed to take one suit, "Or five". Hopefully, the show is renewed for another season and we can revisit this suit issue.

RD: Finally, give us your elevator pitch, why should Malaysians watch Family Feud Malaysia English?

DL: I think Family Fued Malaysia English edition is one of the few English language, locally produced stuff. I think right now if you look at locally produced stuff, it's news and sports? That's it, we have no more English content.

If you want to watch something local in English, FF would be one of the few, so that's Number 1. Number 2, the competition is exciting, the game itself is fun to watch, and even the losing team can be more entertaining than the winning team. It's family entertainment that you get to play along with.

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Family Feud Malaysia English airs every Sunday, on Astro Showcase Channel 413, 6pm. You can also catch it On Demand on Astro Go after it airs.