Beloved ITV game show returning to screens with supersized series in daytime schedule shake-up – leaving celebrity host ‘thrilled’

A beloved ITV game show will soon return to screens with a supersized series as part of a daytime schedule shake-up – leaving its celebrity host ‘thrilled’.

Series two of the revived series Jeopardy! will begin filming in September – with its megastar host Stephen Fry back at the helm. 

The first series was a daytime hit. It launched in January with 2.5 million viewers and ended its run with an average over 1.6 million.

In Jeopardy!, contestants put their general knowledge to the test to win rounds, always delivering their answer as a question. 

For example, if the question is ‘This city is the capital of France’, hopefuls must answer ‘What is Paris?’ An answer of ‘Paris’ will not be accepted.

Series two of the revived series Jeopardy! will begin filming in September – with its megastar host Stephen Fry returning to the helm

The first series was a daytime hit. It launched in January with 2.5 million viewers and ended its run with an average over 1.6 million 

If a contestant uses the wrong pronoun in their answering question, i.e. ‘Who is Paris?’, they will be penalised.

Contestants continue to amass winnings the longer they stay in the game, with the winner returning in the next episode. 

Of the new series, host Stephen, 66, said: ‘Thrilled to be back at the Jeopardy! lectern for another series. 

‘Aside from the sheer entertainment value of the format, it’s especially wonderful to see contestants from all over the country revealing such wonderful, varied knowledge and quick wits.

He finished: ‘Thanks to ITV and to our audience. Here’s hoping the second series finds new devotees and unearths more astonishing contestants.’

Sunil Patel, CEO of Whisper, the production company behind Jeopardy, said: ‘Jeopardy! is a cultural phenomenon in the US and now, thanks to the brilliant talent of Stephen Fry and the skill of our amazing production team, it has become a fixture in living rooms across the UK.

‘I’m delighted the show is being recommissioned. Jeopardy! is legendary and to be delivering it to a new generation of UK quiz fans on ITV is something very special…’

Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning ITV said: ‘Jeopardy! is a fantastic addition to our strong rosta of games shows on ITV, so we can’t wait to welcome Stephen and the show back to our screens next year.’ 

In Jeopardy!, contestants put their best general knowledge to the test to win rounds and always delivering the answer as a question

For example, if the question is ‘This city is the capital of France’, hopefuls must answer ‘What is Paris?’ An answer of ‘Paris’ will not be accepted and ‘who’ instead of ‘what’ will be penalised

Series two will be filmed in Salford from the end of September 2024 and is set to air in 2025. Casting for contestants began in July.

Jeopardy! UK is based on the NBC programme of the same name which began in the US in 1964. 

The UK version first aired in 1983 on Channel 4 with Northern Irish journalist and radio broadcaster Derek Hobson, now 75, hosting. 

It was the revived by ITV from 1990 to 1993 with English actor Chris Donat, 62, known for starring in 1995’s The Politician’s Wife.