J! returns to UK w/Stephen Fry hosting

[colonial]

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/stephen-fry-quiz-show-jeopardy-itv-1235536847/

Premiering this fall and airing for 20 episodes, the article suggests this new version of UK J! may adopt the current U.S. Celebrity J! format with three rounds of gameplay before Final J!

There had been talk for some time about ITV reviving UK J! -- ITV aired three series from 1990-93. A pilot was recorded last year with Richard Madeley hosting but was rejected.


JD

[pownster]

https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/03/stephen-fry-to-host-jeopardy-for-nine.html

It would appear that Stephen Fry will also be involved in hosting an Australian version as well (in the form of a set of 6 "specials" involving Australian expats currently living in the UK). Filming presumably will be done on the same set as the UK version. Australia hasn't aired its own version since 1993, when Tony Barber (ex Sale of the Century host) brought the format to our shores (albeit for a very brief time).

[That Don Guy]

Bump: it's Sir Stephen Fry now - he has been knighted in the 2025 New Year's Honours list

[Jeremy Nelson]

While this definitely isn’t the longest time between bumps, unless Sir Stephen Fry got a renewal, this seems unnecessary.

[Stackertosh]

I am surprised the show got renewed. I watched a few episodes, and the show drags and the pacing is bad.

[Brig Bother]

There are doubtless TV politics reasons this got a second run (it didn't rate well, and it's telling they're not giving it the high-profile January berthing it got last time - we don't know when it's going out actually), but it sounds like they're at least trying to make it a bit pacier next time round, they're adding a seventh category to each round to reduce the downtime, and it sounds like Paul Farrer is on board to add some musical beds and sound effects.

But its big problem is always going to be it's Jeopardy as a new format with no nostalgia value here, extended because the economics of TV demands it, in a market that already does quizzes pretty well.

[joelvanderveen]

The show is airing on GameTV in Canada so I've caught some of it recently. I would echo the comments above — it does drag, and while I like Stephen Fry in general, his commentary feels like a constant interruption here. Yet another show that works great for 30 minutes, but somehow feels interminable at 60.