Jeopardy! Announces A Brand New Host
Actor Stephen Fry will host a new version of Jeopardy! made in the UK.
Stephen Fry has been chosen to host a UK version of Jeopardy! Each season will consist of 20 episodes which will air during a daytime television slot. Contestants will be presented with trivia clues phrased as answers in each round, to which they must respond with a question that identifies whatever the clue describes. While the flagship series has three rounds, the reboot will feature a fourth.
Speaking about his Jeopardy! hosting gig, Stephen Fry described the game show as a phenomenon like no other. “Whenever I’m in America, I do my damnedest to catch it every weekday,” he said via Deadline. The comedian said the idea of hosting the series in the UK makes him dizzy with delight. He also hopes that folks will welcome the endlessly rewarding game show.
Paramount Global Content Distribution handles format rights, and Sony-backed Whisper North will produce the UK version of Jeopardy! ITV Head of Entertainment, Katie Rawcliffe, shared her excitement about the popular game show series and its new host. “There is no one better to host this classic game show than Stephen, bringing knowledge and entertainment to all of our viewers,” she said via Deadline.
The quiz show reboot will be filmed at dock10 studios and is set to premiere on ITV later this year. Jeopardy! debuted on American screens in the 1960s. But its current daily iteration has been in place since 1984. Former champion Ken Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik were named as permanent co-hosts in 2022.
They took over from Alex Trebek, who died of cancer in 2020 after hosting for more than 37 years. However, the new hosts’ tenure hasn’t been without controversy. Jeopardy! fans have been pleading for Jennings to return as Bialik takes over presenting duties for the High School Reunion Tournament.
After the Call Me Kat star returned to Jeopardy! last week, some ardent fans took to social media to complain about her co-host’s absence. They also criticized Bialik for awarding points to a contestant for an incorrect answer. In the “National Anthems” category, the clue read, “Heard here is this British national anthem that has the same melody as My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”
College senior Audrey Sarin responded with, “What is God Save the Queen” which Bialik accepted as the correct answer. This prompted a debate online, as the anthem has been God Save the King since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. “Unless this was taped before the Queen passed, the answer is wrong,” one Jeopardy! viewer tweeted via Newsweek.
Ken Jennings was also on the receiving end of Jeopardy! backlash for allowing a contestant to change an incorrect answer in 2022. The problem began during the “Cons” category when contestants were shown a painting and asked to identify its British artist. After being shown a 19th-century landscape, a contestant responded with, “What is Constant?”
Although the response was wrong, Jennings asked for clarification allowing the participant to change his answer to, “Who is Constable?” This was accepted and he was awarded accordingly. With the show in its 39th season, Ken Jennings hosts the primetime edition of Jeopardy! while Bialik takes over the lectern for tournaments and specials.
