Here’s the first look at Stephen Fry hosting the British Jeopardy!
Fry will officially step behind the U.K.'s podium in October of 2023
Aux News Jeopardy!
Back in February, British TV network ITV announced that it was importing a true American institution across the Atlantic: Long-running quiz show Jeopardy! (which of course remains, despite its occasional brushes with controversy, the sole remaining meritocracy of any worth in the American cultural landscape). At the time, the network also tapped a host—none of that long, semi-disastrous public audition process here—in the form of the endlessly eloquent and avuncular Stephen Fry.
Now, ITV has revealed the first photos from the show’s set, which reveal that, true to form, Fry cuts a natural figure behind the podium. (Not wholly surprising, in light of his long track record on British panel and quiz shows, including his long tenure as the impresario of QI, which he hosted from 2003 to 2016.)
The released photos also gave a few glimpses at the set of the U.K. reboot, provoking at least a few murmurs of outrage from veteran Jeopardy! fans who, you could argue, are not a demographic of human being inclined to be wild about change: Most notably, a bit of rumbling discontent over the decision to swap out the individual screens that make up the U.S. show’s big board in favor of a single screen that then has categories divided up digitally. (It’s slightly hard to describe; look at the photo above, and you can see what we mean—a minor change, to be sure, but this is, after all, Jeopardy!.)
As previously announced, the British series will depart majorly from the original show in one respect: Episodes will be an hour in length, with a third round betwixt Double Jeopardy and Final Jeopardy to make up the length. It’s not clear yet whether cash amounts for clues will be adjusted for the extra length; the mere presence of two or three more Daily Double spaces on the board (which allow contestants to as much as double their winnings for every one they find) could lead to savvy players massively increasing their scores through heavy betting. Not that we spend too much time thinking about the mechanics and betting dynamics of Jeopardy!. That would be a thing nerds do! We’re cool, and are the normal amount of excited to see what Fry and company do as they import the show overseas.
Versions of Jeopardy! previously ran in the U.K. in both the ’80s and the ’90s; the latest reboot is set to air in October 2023.
80 Comments
The Brits have plenty of good game shows (Pointless, Mastermind, Richard Osman’s House of Games).
Only Connect, University Challenge
Have I Got News For You…
Those are more “panel shows” — that is, they are in the form of a game show but really the game is meaningless but just a framework for the panelists to tell jokes in. This sounds like it is an actual game show, with nobodies as the contestants and the game really being the draw.
And once upon a time, Knightmare.
…The Critical Factor…
I love QI – for the silly subjects, the always-clever panelists, and the way the final score seems to be completely arbitrary. [But with Stephen Fry, it’s probably all very carefully tallied up.]
“But with Stephen Fry, it’s probably all very carefully tallied up.]”
Stephen Fry had, and continues to have, *ZERO* input into the scoring.
But it’s nice of you to take credit away from those who *actually* devise the scores.
What a fucking cunt.
I thought QI was too stressful for him or somesuch? It was also way more suited to his skillset.
IIRC it was getting overworked from trying to cut costs by shooting something like 3 episodes per day, don’t know if any new information came out in the intervening years though.
Cutting costs on QI? I mean, there are costs to cut? My favorite show, but the only lower budget one is As Yet untitled.
It’s the BBC, those brits sure love their austerity.
“I mean, there are costs to cut?”
The massive salary of the host?
That’s how American Jeopardy! (and many other game shows) are filmed. The contestants change clothes to make it look like it is a different day.
True, perhaps QI, by its nature of being a comedy panel show, had a more complicated/tiresome shooting process.
I assume he stepped down after Series 13 because it was halfway through the alphabet and he wanted to do some other things. I could also see how after doing so many episodes, a person might get burnt out on the format.
Maybe. The budget cuts and 3 episode a day scheduling is the reason Alan Davies gave years ago for Fry’s departure.
“I assume he stepped down after Series 13 because it was halfway through the alphabet and he wanted to do some other things.”
Why assume something when the actual answer is available?
I’m reliably told by a Q.I. insider that it had something to do with a blue whale.
There’s only so much abuse one man can take…
“I thought QI was too stressful for him or somesuch?”
What made you think that?
It was never anything except the BBC cutting costs.
Will contestants be allowed to use “Wot” during Final Jeopardy?
Wot is Love’s Labour’s Lost, innit?
Oh man, US version rendered instantly obsolete. Which is fine by me because I haven’t watched a second since Alex passed. I still don’t like the buzzer and am bored by the wagering, but more questions will be nice.
Ken Jennings has really come into his own as host after a bumpy start. He really keeps the legacy of Trebek’s Jeopardy alive, not just because he was a part of it, but because he clearly respects it and knows it well. Mayim Bialik sucks, though, and I don’t watch it when she’s on.What don’t you like about the buzzer? I’m puzzled by this, because I’m not sure what else you could use. Should the contestants just raise their hands?I can see how the wagering might bore you in a game where one contestant is dominating, but when there are at least two who are going at it, the wagers can mean a lot. Especially when one player has been champion for a few days. I urge you to watch the recent Masters Tournament where everyone really felt like they had to bet big to beat James Holzhauer. It really ratcheted up the tension.
I’m not sure how you fix the buzzer either. As far as the wagering, I’m literally only here for the questions, so it’s something I ignore. So, basically I just want a pub quiz.
I like Jennings, but from what I’ve seen, Bialik seems to be a perfectly competent host. However, my opinion might not hold water. I’ve only seen five or ten minutes since every time she comes on, I get this overwhelming image of her breastfeeding her unvaccinated three year while using her celebrity and science degree to sell snake oil brain pills and I can’t reach the remote fast enough.
She’s competent, but not much else. Her banter with the contestants is strained, and it always seems like she’s not really listening to them. Where Ken will make a comment or joke after a contestant has spoken, Mayim just says “That’s great!” and moves on.She pauses just a little too long before confirming a correct response, and if no one gets the question, she’ll just flatly read it out. I know this may seem like nitpicking, but it really disrupts the flow of the game in a weird way.Alex had a real (but very subdued) gameshow host way about him that kept the game moving. Ken does his own version of that, but Mayim feels like she should be hosting a kids version of Jeopardy. She feels like an elementary school teacher.
No nitpick, with you on all counts. She’s slow to say correct, like she’s waiting for confirmation from producers, but quick to say, NOPE.Ken seems to actually be familiar with the subject matter while she…. doesn’t. And her astounded amazement when someone hits “THE DAILY DOUBLE!!?!”, yea ok, I’m way too into this.
What don’t you like about the buzzer? I’m puzzled by this,Probably because you have to buzz in at a certain time, exactly when the question ends. If you buzz in a fraction before the judges decide the question ended, you get locked out.I saw an ep with a blind guy where they added a little gong sound when you could buzz in to make it fair, cause he couldn’t see the question. They should always have that.As it is, you win or lose by knowing exactly when to buzz. Jennings said as much.If you watch Jeopardy! casually, it’s easy to assume that the
player doing most of the answering is the one who knew the most answers,
but that’s not necessarily true. All three contestants, after all,
passed the same very hard test to be there. Most of the contestants can
answer most of the questions. But Jeopardy! victory most often goes not to the biggest brain; it goes to the smoothest thumb. Timing on the tricky Jeopardy! buzzer is often what separates the winner from the, well, non-winners, and the Jeopardy! buzzer is a cruel mistress.
Here’s how it works: the buzzers don’t get activated until Alex is
finished reading each question. If you buzz in too early, the system
actually locks you out for a fifth of a second or so. But if you’re too
late, the player next to you is going to get in first. Somewhere
between too early and too late is a very narrow sweet spot,
https://www.ken-jennings.com/faqMost people would rather the biggest brain wins.
You could really see this in the Masters Tournament where the older players (Amy and Sam) were getting frustrated when they would miss the buzzer.
This was the exact problem with Watson on Jeopardy… it could always buzz in first. They tried to make some kind of delay mechanism, but, it still beat human response times.Basically, the buzzer is “unlocked” by a human standing off set. That human waits for the last word to be read, then unlocks the buzzers for the other contestants to ring in. Get out of sync with that human, and you’re dead meat. Watson, however, was wired directly into the human’s control system and could always ring in at exactly like .1 seconds after the unlock. No human contestant could compete because they’re going off of what they think the other person might do, whereas Watson had a direct line into the buzzer.Everyone marveled at Watson at the time, but, it wasn’t really that impressive at Jeopardy. Let me ring in first and use Google and I’d crush the game, too. I always thought they should have a human operator buzzing in for Watson, or some other method to make it fair.
I saw an ep with a blind guy where they added a little gong sound when you could buzz in to make it fair, cause he couldn’t see the question. They should always have that.I think something like this would help. At least they wouldn’t have to read someones mind.
Basically, the buzzer is “unlocked” by a human standing off set. That human waits for the last word to be read, then unlocks the buzzers for the other contestants to ring in.That’s not how it works, or it wasn’t a few years ago when I auditioned for Jeopardy. There are three little lights next to the screen, which the contestants can see but the cameras can’t. When the host gets close to the end of the clue, the lights go out one at a time, like a countdown, and when the third one goes out the contestants can ring in. The challenge is to read the clue faster than the host is speaking it, figure out the answer, then turn your attention to those lights in time to get your buzzer timing right. But there’s no “guess exactly when the buzzer is unlocked.”
From what I remember, a human is in charge of those lights, who’s also pacing the host. You’re still in need of synching up with their guess.
“Most people would rather the biggest brain wins.”
Yeah, that’s why Jeopardy is so unpopular and is probably going to be canceled after its first season, right?
It’s been around for forty-plus fucking years because most people don’t like it.
You ignorant fucking knob.
Ken Jennings has really come into his own as host after a bumpy start. He really keeps the legacy of Trebek’s Jeopardy alive, not just because he was a part of it, but because he clearly respects it and knows it well. Mayim Bialik sucks, though, and I don’t watch it when she’s on.Ken is wonderful, and a huge part of that is his deep reverence for the show and for Trebek’s legacy. I never saw his “bumpy” start, though AV Club referenced it in their review of the candidates a year or so ago. He’s been great from the time I started watching.One thing that’s underrated is his quips. He’s quick on his feet and makes very funny clever quips, without a trace of meanness.Mayim Bialik is excellent. She’s a very fine host, and something of a breath of fresh air in the sausage fest of game-show hosts. Mayim’s problem is, her counterpart is scientifically engineered to be the PERFECT Jeopardy host. He’s so steeped in the fabric of the show. Next to him she seems like trash. Mayim emphatically is NOT trash. She’s actually excellent. But “excellent” is a huge step down from “perfect”. So she comes off poorly in comparisons.
I will concede that Mayim would probably be fine if she was hosting another show, but I think she’s a bad fit for Jeopardy.
What do they saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay…?
There are no straight lines!
Bloody hell, Stephen, this better be good…
Couldn’t just let the fucking joke land, could you?
All the stars for you.
I assume his child-buffing workshop is still under construction.I say we get Phill Jupitus, put him in some of the Undercover Boss facial prosthetic makeup, and sneak into the first episode.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSIzXiPydPQ
It’s interesting how British game and panel shows are almost all 1 hour long.Every time the US tries to import one and cram it into 30 minutes, it fails, so it will be interesting to see if the Jeopardy! format can reasonably fill a 60-minute timeslot or if it will be a similar mismatch.
QI, Buzzcocks, University Challenge, Only Connect, Mastermind, all 30 minutes, although there are longer edits of QI for reruns.
Interesting, I’m obviously missing a bunch. I do watch Only Connect, but apparently I only seem to watch the XL version of QI on YouTube. I thought “XL” meant it was like, 5 minutes longer, not 20 minutes longer!Also, for what it’s worth, an ad-free 30-minute BBC show like Only Connect is already about 10 minutes longer than your average US game show (US game shows have lots of ads, and barely reach a 20-minute runtime).
BritBox has Series 10-20 and with only a couple of exceptions, they look to all be 29 minutes long (or at least that’s what it says for BritBox through Amazon).
Edit: Though, I guess there could be edits with deleted scenes. IDK
“I only seem to watch the XL version of QI on YouTube. I thought “XL” meant it was like, 5 minutes longer, not 20 minutes longer!”
1) QI XL is *not* an hour.
2) QI XL is *not* “20 minutes longer”
Qi is 29-30 minutes and XL is 42-43 minutes.
And no, the BBC does not have ads, so they are not “one hour with ads”.
HIGNFY also has Have I Got A Bit More News For You (so….HIGABMNFY). Both are worth because it’s never about the questions, but they’re really about the banter.
They were on the right path with @midnight, but clearly didn’t understand what makes the format work. They made it too much of a contest, and one of the three contestants had to leave for the final round. It would have maybe made sense to get rid of all but one. Rhys Darby was on and kept intentionally bombing questions and it was funnier than any of the quick jokes the other contestants were doing. Then he wasn’t there for the final round.
“It’s interesting how British game and panel shows are almost all 1 hour long.”
Sure, except that the vast majority of them are absolutely *NOT* an hour long.
Now they’re replacing Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune.It’s gonna look stupid with somebody else touching the letters for no reason.The only reason Vanna doesn’t look stupid doing it is cause it’s Vanna.https://tvline.com/news/vanna-white-replaced-wheel-of-fortune-controversy-explained-1235027229/
I love this guy. He genuinely comes across as a legitimately nice person.
His tour of the American states on Netflix was great. Things you wouldn’t expect him to focus on. For instance, you’d think Tennessee would be country music and Dollywood, but instead it’s a ‘body farm’ using cadavers for medical research.
If you want a similarly great – and somehow British – perspective on the US, check out Rich Hall’s BBC4 documentaries he did.They’re totally not up on YouTube, so you shouldn’t even bother punching in search terms like “Rich Hall The Dirty South” or “Rich Hall BBC Red Menace” or “Rich Hall Continental Drifters” or “Rich Hall Inventing The Indian” – total waste of time and bandwidth. “…the film is actually a cross between a Scooby-Doo haunted house film and a small town rape trial, but somehow, it works…” – Rich Hall on To Kill A Mockingbird.
Sounds interesting, and thanks!
They’re great because they’re by an American, but not…well, for Americans. Rich doesn’t have to pander, nor does he have to performatively eviscerate.
It is interesting to read his memoir though. He became a good person over time but in his youth defrauded people and even went to prison for it.
I’m a firm believer that most people can turn their life around for the best. Sadly (though I didn’t know any of what you said) most people don’t. But if we get a Stephen Fry out of every 5 Tim Allens in okay with that.
“But if we get a Stephen Fry out of every 5 Tim Allens in okay with that.”
I’m sorry, but in your estimation Tim Allen *didn’t* turn his life around for the best, simply because *checks notes* you don’t agree with his politics?I wonder what it’s like to be such a vile piece of shit like you.
he’s the voice of my gps! when i complete a trip, he tells me that he’s falling in love with me!
“The British series will depart majorly[sic]…”Stephen Fry would not appreciate your word choice.
“[D]espite its occasional brushes with controversy”.Those three people had never been in Cliff Clavin’s kitchen and I refuse to be told otherwise!
The British version will have a few differences from the original version. Instead of starting all responses with “What is”, you just say the answer followed by “innit?” Failure to do this will result in disqualification.Also, instead of winning dollars for each correct answer, contestants will be given a fun imaginary currency called “pounds.”
But when are we getting an American version of Numberwang?
Yes, that is a number!
I’m just making do with our version of Hole in the Ring
My money’s on you getting The Quiz Broadcast first.Remain indoors!
I find American Jeopardy! fast paced to a stressful degree, so a longer air time seems like a positive.
Stephen Fry should host every game show ever. I love that the Brits have so many shows that rely on actual intelligence and knowledge. What a concept!
So…are you actually going to link to the photos or am I going to have to google that shit?
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
love a good game show (e.g. Catchphrase, Wheel of Fortune, Countdown, and Supermarket Sweep), and the presenter is a major factor in me enjoying it. i think Fry will be awesome. It is a great get for ITV to have someone like Stephen Fry presenting this.
–onto the podium. Behind the lectern.
I wish they’d just start airing this in the evenings in the US instead of the American original.
People in these comments getting Quiz Shows and Panel Shows mixed up is really, really baking my brain in.Panel Shows are, fundamentally, comedy shows.Also, while I’m here;Shooting Stars is the greatest panel show of all time. Vic and Bob just mercilessly taking the piss out of bewildered celebrities is something this planet needs right now.
“Here’s the first look at Stephen Fry hosting the British Jeopardy!Fry will officially step behind the U.K.’s podium in October of 2023”Based on the picture, it sure looks like he’s already officially stepped behind the podium.
Otherwise there’s no reason for this article.