Jeremy Clarkson to host new Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? spin-off

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson is to host a new spin-off of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? called Millionaire Hot Seat.

The new show, which will air on ITV, will see contestants sit in a queue around the hot seat, which faces Clarkson and allows the players to answer questions to climb the money ladder, as soon as they get a question wrong contestants are out and the value of the top prize drops.

Contestants also have the opportunity to pass and stay in the game, but they will go to the back of the queue – meaning they may not return to the hot seat, where they have to be sitting to win the top prize.

Katie Rawcliffe, director of entertainment and daytime commissioning at ITV, said: “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has reached 18 million viewers on ITV so far this year alone.

“Commissioning a new spin-off format to further capitalise on the brand’s success and popularity was a no-brainer, especially with Millionaire Hot Seat already doing so well in other territories also.”

The show, which will be produced by Stellify Media in the UK, is already popular in Australia – with more than 2,500 episodes airing.

Along with the new spin-off, ITV has also commissioned 19 further episodes of the traditional Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? including seven celebrity specials.

A date for the show’s release is yet to be announced, but it is expected to air across ITV, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

Beginning in September 1998 and originally hosted by Chris Tarrant, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has seen 40 series up to 2025.

The show has made the headlines on a number of occasions, most notably when contestant Charles Ingram won the grand prize – but it was never paid out after he was accused of cheating in an infamous coughing scam, with the story being dramatised in ITV show Quiz.