Coldplay gets cold shoulder

Being the frontman of one of the biggest bands on earth still won't get you a gig on underground SBS hit show RocKwiz. Just ask Chris Martin of Coldplay.

Shunned... Chris Martin (second from left) of Coldplay. Photo: Stefano Paltera

Host Julia Zemiro says he is the one person they would ban from the show apart from his wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

"She just shouldn't have sung," Zemiro said.

"And we have a bit of a running joke with Chris."

In its final episode tomorrow, RocKwiz will unite the bad boys of rock with the beautiful broads of song for an action-packed temporary goodbye.

Appearing will be Tex Perkins, Tim Rogers and Dave Larkin, along with Deborah Conway, Ella Hooper and Rebecca Barnard.

The show will be back for another series, which will begin filming at Melbourne's Esplanade Hotel next month.

Zemiro said it had enjoyed slow-burning success.

"I just got a phone call from James Black, who is the guitarist and keyboardist in the RocKwiz band," she said.

"He is touring with the Countdown Spectacular and he said everybody on the show loves RocKwiz and they all want to be on it.

"And John Paul Young would love to have a go, so all these things are coming out of the woodwork."

Zemiro said the show's appeal was in its throwback to the Countdown era.

"When Tex Perkins was on the show he was saying what he loves is that it feels like being on Countdown again, where anything could happen.

"It was live, there was music, there was laughter, there was improvising and sometimes magic would happen and sometimes big mistakes would happen.

"But it was exciting to watch because it wasn't so pre-produced."

With quiz shows cluttering screens these days, Zemiro said they had become the obvious replacements for reality TV.

"They're cheap to make," she said. "Ever since Trivial Pursuit and pub trivia became so popular, people love to show off their knowledge.

"If you know something and have an area of expertise you get excited at having to be tested on that."

She said her next best areas of knowledge after music were Shakespeare and cooking.

"On Australia's Brainiest Comedian I beat geniuses like Mark Holden, Andrew G and Gary Sweet and put my special interest as Shakespeare's plays," she said.

"I've been to acting school and used to work with the Bell Shakespeare Company.

"And cooking because my father was a chef you could do CooKwiz and I'd be into it."

By Roxanne Millar/MX/news.com.au