Piers Morgan, host of "Piers Morgan Tonight,"Reuters
You thought Simon Cowell was the British villain Americans loved to hate? Here's Piers Morgan. The testy Brit is poised to take over for Larry King with the new CNN series Piers Morgan Tonight, which begins Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. ET. His first guest: Oprah Winfrey. Later in the week, his interviews include Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney.
Born in the postcard town of Guildford in the county of Surrey, Morgan spent decades in the British newspaper world before crossing the pond. After years of reporting he became the editor of the tabloid papers News of the World and Daily Mirror. But he created his prickly reputation in Britain as a meanest judge on the series Britain's Got Talent (on which he championed YouTube singing sensation Susan Boyle); he sharpened his image on the U.S. spinoff America's Got Talent and as the most irritating contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. Yes, he won. And in that inimitable English manner, Morgan likes to stir things up. So far, he has banned Madonna - his long-time foe in the English press - from ever appearing on his new show.
He took time out for a brief chat at last week's TV critics' tour.
How light will the tone of your new show be?
We don't need to take these things too seriously. We really don't. I want to have fun on CNN. The one thing CNN doesn't have enough of is fun. And what you definitely get on Fox and MSNBC in that timeslot is some fun. A bit of a laugh, you know? Glenn Beck is quite funny. I want to have fun and get a sense of energy and unpredictability.
Will you have any serious interviews?
Sometimes you have to be serious. If 9/11 happens again, God help us, obviously you go very serious for a long period of time. But in a normal news week, have a bit of levity!
Are you going to single-handedly save CNN?
I do know CNN has been drowned out by the noise of its rivals the last two years. No question. And they've got to make more noise, more buzz, more media attention, more headlines. Just have more energy and dynamism in the way the programming is sold.
What's the secret of good interviewing?
You've got to start with a good laugh. You've got to make your interviewees feel at ease, and laughter is the best way of relaxing anybody. And I like to suddenly out of nowhere ask a tricky question, with no point to it at all, because that's how you get the right answer. And I like silence, where you just sit back.
Larry King famously never prepared for interviews. How much research will you do?
Probably too much. Because of my journalism background I like to immerse myself in their world. For Oprah, I spent a week reading and watching everything she's done the past 15 years. I try to get inside their heads, so I know what's likely to trigger a certain emotion.
Will you have Larry King on as a guest?
I'd love to have Larry on the show. He's been nothing but gracious to me. And what a great interview that would be. He's done 40,000 interviews. Eight wives. Where do you start?
What was the best question you asked Oprah?
The best thing I asked Oprah, which totally took her by surprise, was, 'How many times have you properly been in love, where your heart aches and breaks?' It was a great question for Oprah, because she's never been asked it. Her answer was fantastic.
What was her answer?
I won't tell you.
Why does American television have such an appetite for nasty Englishmen?
We have a thing in Britain called pantomime, which is where you have these Christmas theatrical performances where there's always a baddie. And when the baddie comes out, everybody boos and whistles. It's kind of what Simon and me and Gordon Ramsay do in America on TV. We're the pantomime villains. I think it's quite funny.
Who do you admire on American television?
The chaps on Mad Men. I just want to be Donald Draper. Or Roger Sterling. I want to have an office with a bar in New York and just drink whisky all day long.
Still keep in touch with your old Celebrity Apprentice cast mates?
Donald Trump has become a friend. Donald is great. Whenever he reads something positive about me in the New York Post, he clips it and sends it to me with a note. He's done it six or seven times. He's like my own personal clipping service.
You appear to Twitter incessantly. Why is that?
I love it. It's like the ultimate playground. Of course, anyone who's visited my Twitter feed probably thinks I'm a bit obsessive, or a bit mad. But you have to be in that game now. It's vital to promoting a TV show. You see all the people in news currently getting the big ratings are on Twitter. It's going to be incorporated deeply into the new show.
This interview has been condensed and edited.