After a 15-year break from Light Lunch and spin-off Late Lunch, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins are returning to ITV with a chat show format which is bound to attract their Bake Off fans. Guests today include Gareth Malone, Jennifer Saunders and Dermot O'Leary.

Mel & Sue, ITV, 4pm

YOU finished Light Lunch and its spin-off show, Late Lunch, 15 years. What gave you the idea of bringing the chat show back?

Mel: For the past two or three years, in our slightly shambolic way, we’ve tried to sit down and say, “We should do something live again.” We love live because of the roughness round the edges, the excitement, the madness, and stuff going off on all sorts of weird tangents.

Sue: We did so many live shows when we were starting out. That is the medium in which we feel most comfortable. When you set out as a TV presenter, the medium you’re most comfortable in is pre-recorded; you look nice and it’s all perfect. But when you work live in front of an audience, aiming for perfection is pointless. But what you can achieve are these magic moments when you get heckled or something unpredictable appears.

Will the chat show be filmed in front of a live studio audience?

M: Yes. That will add heat, smell, an element of the litigious and strange eye contact. If it all goes well, that should be a real laugh because by its nature an audience brings with it the unpredictable.

S: No pressure on the audience, but if they could be interesting and funny, that would be great – because we’re not planning on being either of those two things. It’s not a very big ask.

Can things go wrong with this format?

S: Absolutely. Sometimes when we did Light Lunch the producers would whisper in our ears, “We’ve only got three seconds left – oh no, it’s actually 20 seconds. Think of another question.” At which point, Mel would always go slightly glazed, put on a rictus grin and ask, “Got any pets?”

M: I remember David Seaman said, “I’ve got a rabbit.” And I replied, “Bye bye, see you tomorrow.”

Who would your dream guests be for the new series?

M: Bardem, Bush, Bowie. And John Craven. I hear he’s got great pecs – or have I confused him with Tom Daley? It’s often the guests you don’t expect to be interesting who are the best.

S: We did a Robin’s Nest special on Light Lunch and recreated the entire set. We had all the cast on, and none of them remembered doing the show at all.

Do you feel nervous about coming back with another chat show after a 15-year gap?

S: Yes. I’ve started calling it the “Farewell Tour” in case it fails. I’ll say, “Mel and I will always love each other, but it’s goodbye.” But if it works, we’ll rebrand it and say, “Well, hello again”. It’s like the Rolling Stones – every tour is a farewell tour.

M: Everyone is really nice if they think it’s a farewell tour. They give you the benefit of the doubt.

Why do viewers warm to you?

M: People can see that our friendship is real, and they’re drawn to it. Ant and Dec have that thing, definitely, and Vic and Bob.

S: There’s a love there, and a sense that we really do find each other funny. We’re also genuine. I’d much rather be liked and even loathed for truly being me rather than pretending to be someone else.

Why do audiences love The Great British Bake Off so much?

S: They like the fact that we all really get on. What’s great about Bake Off for Mel and me is that it has become an extension of our friendship. It feels like the family is complete now. We have a scary, brilliant, cool mum in Mary (Berry), and a wayward, hilarious brother in Paul (Hollywood).