Lancashire quizmaster Jay Flynn wants Marvel's Will Poulter to play him in new film

Quizmaster Jay Flynn joined presenter Lucy Meacock in the studio to chat about a new movie about his life.

A man who went from living on the streets to becoming one of the UK's favourite quizmasters has said he wants the actor Will Poulter to play him in a new film about his life.

Jay Flynn MBE, who lives in Darwen in Lancashire, spent two years homeless in London after he lost his job and his relationship broke down.

During the coronavirus lockdown, he kept the nation entertained when his virtual pub quiz went viral after he mistakenly set a Facebook event to public instead of private.

The weekly quizzes quickly became a staple event while everyone had to stay at home, often bringing hundreds of thousands of people together.

Now his remarkable life story is set hit the silver screen, produced by the same filmmakers who made A Streetcat Named Bob, and the upcoming Muhammad Ali Biopic.

Speaking to ITV Granada Reports' Lucy Meacock, Jay said: "It's incredible but I do feel like the last two years have been a film.

"I feel like somebody is going to wake me up on the 25 March and say 'oh, by the way this is all about to happen to you'. It doesn't feel real now."

When asked who he wants to play him in the movie, Jay joked: "I asked the studio 'how big is your budget because are we going to go for Tom Cruise or George Clooney?'

"For me, I'd really like a British actor. Not somebody who is necessarily big or A-list. I want someone who believes in the role.

"Someone underrated like Will Poulter who has been in a few big movies but would really get into the role."

Poulter is known for starring alongside Jennifer Anniston in the comedy We're The Millers and is set to take on the role of Adam Warlock in the third Guardians of the Galaxy film.

The movie, currently named 'The Quizmaster', will tell the highs and lows of Jay's life, focusing on the years he spent on the streets and how he turned his life around.

"I'd gone through rockbottom, through the other side and just kept going", he said.

"A charity called Connection at St Martins in Westminster, just happened upon me one night after two years.

"They said they didn't think anyone could be stupid enough to sleep where I was on the embankment, right by the river.

"It took them six months of hard work to get the council to recognise me as a resident and they rebuilt me from a shell of a person."

When Covid hit, Jay became a shining light for hundreds of thousands of people who tuned into his weekly quizzes online. He has also raised more than £1m for charity.

He was awarded an MBE for his fundraising efforts and holds a Guinness World Record for the most viewers of a quiz on a YouTube livestream.

His online pub quizzes still take place twice a week and have about 20,000 players.

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