Jeremy Clarkson has addressed concerns from viewers who found the debut of his new ITV quiz show, Millionaire Hot Seat, frustrating due to contestants taking too long to answer questions.
The ITV spin-off of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire premiered on Tuesday, January 13, introducing a quicker, high-pressure format. In this version, six contestants race against time to answer increasingly difficult questions within just 15 seconds each. The contestant sitting in the “Hot Seat” when time runs out wins the grand £1 million prize.
Ahead of the show’s launch, Clarkson expressed enthusiasm: “I’ve hosted a new show starting on @ITV this evening. It’s called Hot Seat, and it’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. But faster. Can’t wait to see how it’s turned out.”
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However, as the episode unfolded, some viewers voiced frustration over the slow pace, urging contestants to answer more quickly. One viewer tweeted, “Can someone please explain to the Contestants that they need to stop nattering and answer the questions as quickly as possible, so frustrating!” Clarkson replied swiftly, “I do. Before the show every time.”
Millionaire Hot Seat’s format is intense: a wrong answer results in immediate elimination, and the jackpot amount decreases with each mistake. Contestants can use a single “pass” to skip a question and potentially return to the Hot Seat later.
Following Clarkson’s response, fans suggested allowing contestants to run out of time to reinforce the urgency. One commented, “Perhaps let one of them run out of time….the others might get the message.”
Others praised the show’s novel approach, though some missed the dynamic of the original. “I must admit that this format shows how brilliant the original (and JC era) format of Millionaire was! I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the same,” one viewer noted. Another added, “I want to see all the pressure on one person, not to see someone go home with nothing just because it happened not to be ‘their turn!'”
Prior to filming, Clarkson revealed he was initially hesitant to take on the hosting role, saying, “I have got nine jobs already, so I don’t really need to do it, and it’s obviously another quiz, but they sent me the Australian version, and I watched it once, and I thought, ‘Yes, this can work,'” likening it to “a very expensive game of musical chairs.”
Millionaire Hot Seat airs at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.