When does Jeopardy! UK start?

What popular American gameshow is about to be given a British overhaul? Jeopardy!

That’s right – it’s been a staple of State-side television since its debut in 1964 and now Jeopardy! UK aims to translate the action across the pond.

This particular gameshow is a cut above the rest due to its rising stakes format which has the potential for a successful contestant to win a huge amount of cash while defending their title as reigning Jeopardy champion.

When can we expect to see the show on UK telly and how will it differ from its American counterpart? Continue reading to learn all the information you need about Jeopardy! UK.

When does Jeopardy! UK start?

Jeopardy! UK will start at 5.45pm on New Year’s Day, Monday, 1 January 2024 on ITV and ITVX.

From there, fans can expect to twenty instalments to roll out in the coming weeks as players are tasked to rely on nothing but their general knowledge skills to win big cash prizes.

Who will host Jeopardy in the UK?

Jeopardy! UK will be hosted by actor and television personality Stephen Fry. It’ll be his job to introduce this popular American game to a whole new British audience.

In the States, Jeopardy! was initially hosted by Art Fleming from 1964 to 1979. When the series was relaunched in 1984, Alex Trebek acted as its host and continued in the role until his death in 2021. Despite not being the original, Trebek is widely considered the most recognized Jeopardy! host.

Explaining why he decided to host the show’s UK version, former QI frontman Fry said: “It’s such a different kind of a gig, really. After 13 seasons of QI, I wanted to leave halfway, before I felt too repetitive. Jeopardy! is a whole other kind of a show. Great and enthusiastic quizzers from around Britain who aren’t comics and for whom big money is almost as great a prize as the kudos that comes with being a great Jeopardy! champion.”

How do you play Jeopardy! UK?

Jeopardy! Is a general knowledge question-answer quiz show with a difference.

Instead of inviting its players to simply provide answers to brain teasers, its host gives contestants clues which take the form of answers and they must think of the question that accurately identifies the person, place, thing or object being described.

Each episode has an overall winner who continues to the next episode until he or she is ultimately beaten. As each champion progresses, the prize money they’re liable to win increases, giving the show an addictive quality, as viewers often tune in to discover the fate of each current champion.

“That’s the beauty of the show!” says Fry. “[the jackpot] builds and builds for as long as the champion stays on. There is a winner in each show, and they will be there as champion for the next show. They will win more and more, until deposed. In theory, a really brilliant champion could win hundreds of thousands of pounds - or more.

“In America, the great Ken Jennings (now the presenter of the show) won 74 shows in a row, winning $2.52 million. Over the course of various follow-up shows, he raked in more than $4.5 million. So there’s always a wonderful tension.”

The format of Jeopardy! UK will stay largely the same as its US counterpart, with one tiny difference.

“The only real difference is that the UK version is a little longer with an extra round,” adds Fry. “The signature Jeopardy! oddity of the questions being answers and the responses having to be given in the form of questions remains the same.”

Jeopardy! UK starts at 5.45pm on New Year’s Day on ITV and ITVX.