The UK gameshow revival continues apace.
Having already put high-profile reboots of Big Brother, Jeopardy and Deal or No Deal back into production, ITV is now reviving iconic gameshow Wheel of Fortune, helmed by UK TV stalwart Graham Norton.
Sony-owned Whisper North, which is also producing Stephen Fry-hosted Jeopardy, will make an eight-part run including two celebrity specials.
Wheel of Fortune aired beween 1988 and 2001 on ITV, generating something of a cult following alongside the original U.S. version, which has aired non-stop for nearly 50 years. Yesterday, it was revealed that Ryan Seacrest will take over from Pat Sajak as host of the U.S. show’s 42nd season. The UK version was hosted by the likes of Nicky Campbell and Bradley Walsh during its initial run.
The show is centered around a giant carnival wheel as contestants spin to win for a cash prize. The turn of the wheel secures a cash value before contestants pick a letter to help them solve the puzzle. For every correct letter they reveal in the puzzle they win multiples of that amount but they could lose everything at a spin of a wheel if they land on ‘bankrupts’ or ‘lose a turn.’
Norton, who also hosts The Graham Norton Show and is a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK for the BBC, said he is “beyond excited,” adding that his first ever TV job was on an ITV gameshow.
Along with ITV’s reboots, the BBC is reviving Gladiators and Survivor in what has been an intense year for UK reworks of traditional shows.
Wheel of Fortune is a Whisper North production for ITV1 and ITVX. The series has been commissioned by Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning, ITV and Leanne Clarke, Commissioning, Media and Entertainment at ITV. The Executive Producers for Whisper North are Kerri Reid and Tom McLennan. The original U.S. show is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, which is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution along with the format rights.
