Jeremy Clarkson has been 'particularly useless' at Millionaire lifeline questions this season
"It’s still terrifying."
Jeremy Clarkson is back hosting another instalment of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire but this time he's set to quiz a whole new bunch of familiar faces for the celebrity specials.
Having hosted the show since 2018, you would think the host would now have a stellar memory of general knowledge, prime for the 'Ask Jeremy' lifeline which contestants can use.
But it turns out that those lifeline questions haven't gotten any easier over the years, with Clarkson saying in a press pack for the series: "No, it’s still terrifying. This series I have been particularly hopeless. I was doing reasonably well on my average getting them right, but this series I have been really useless!"
On the lifeline itself, Clarkson remarked that "it fires some adrenaline into proceedings."
Chatting about whether or not his general knowledge has improved in the years he's hosted the ITV series, Clarkson admitted: "No! You don’t learn anything. I don’t think the show improves your general knowledge; it just tests it.
"And it’s very useful for me because I can never remember where I put my spectacles but somehow you think ‘the national beer of Sri Lanka is lion’, so you think ‘how is that in my head?!"
Read more:
- Anton Du Beke: 'I don't recognise half the celebs on Strictly Come Dancing these days'
- Gladiators star opens up on injury setback after surgery and 6-month recovery
In the first episode of the new celebrity special, the hot seat will be occupied by Sir Stephen Fry, athlete Jeanette Kwakye and radio personality Richie Anderson.
Other celebrities set to appear this season also include Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke, First Dates star Fred Sirieix and actress Roxy Shahidi, as well as actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, former professional boxer Tony Bellew and cyclist Dame Laura Kenny, to name a few.
Each celebrity will play for their chosen charity with a chance to potentially win a life-changing total of £1,000,000. In the last series, Richard Madeley took home a staggering £125,000 for his charity, so can anyone beat that this time around?
By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
The first episode of the new series sees QI host Stephen Fry among the celebrities to take on a slew of difficult questions.
Teasing what's to come with Fry, Clarkson said: "Stephen has a powerful intellect, but there is a world of difference between intellect and knowledge. You have to have knowledge to develop intellect. You either know it (the question) or you don’t know it."
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire: Celebrity Special starts airing on Sunday 26th January 2025 on ITV1 and ITVX.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
