ITV’s Genius Game is a new strategy-based reality game show coming to screens later this month, hosted by David Tennant and adapted from the South Korean format.
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Eleven contestants with exceptional qualities have been chosen based on their smarts and social IQ, with a crime writer, forensic scientist, PhD student and two doctors just a few of the people in the mix.
They must work together to win the games, some taken from the Korean series and others completely brand new, but the aim is also to manipulate their fellow players to their advantage.
Alliances will be formed and broken, but only one winner, using their intelligence, lateral thinking and the power of persuasion, will take home a cash prize.
In the eight-part series, Tennant appears on a screen to guide the players and explain the rules of each game.
In each episode, there’s a Main Match, where they play a group game. The winner is safe and then gets to choose another player to save.
The loser of the Main Match must play in the Death Match and choose another player to be their opponent. The losing player goes home.
David Tennant. Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Anna Kidd, games executive producer on the series, revealed why they chose Tennant, who takes on the role of The Creator, as the one to front the show.
"In the Korean version of the show, The Creator is this shady character – their face is wrapped in a bandage, you never see them, they're very sinister," she said.
"We knew for ITV, we wanted to bring some personality and wit to it. Genuinely, the only name who was ever on our list was David Tennant.
"He's got this blend of intelligence, humour, and unique charm. He's just the perfect person for this show.
"When we approached him and he watched some of the Korean version, he instantly said yes. He totally nailed the brief.
"Obviously, he's phenomenal at what he does, but he was really invested, and he really understood what the role was and what the games were."
Kidd added: "He brought so much more than we could ever have hoped. We were really lucky – he was absolutely brilliant. He's really going to add something extra to the show."
Laura Rutkowski is the Junior Commissioning Editor at Radio Times magazine, where she looks after a column called "What it's like to…", which spotlights behind-the-scenes roles within the TV and film industry – from stunt coordinators to costume designers. She loves finding out how productions are made and enjoys covering a wide variety of genres. Laura is half-American and half-British and joined Radio Times in 2022. She has a degree in Psychology and a Master's in Magazine Journalism.
