Lightning start date – rules and everything you need to know about new BBC Two quiz show
Comedian Zoe Lyons is hosting the brand new teatime quiz.
There's a brand new format ready to shake up the teatime game show line-up – with Lightning hoping to send sparks flying with its first series, starting this week.
The show is fronted by comedian Zoe Lyons and will see six contestants per episode competing to win £3,000 in a quick-fire quiz.
Read on for everything you need to know about the brand new show.
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Lighting start date on BBC Two
The very first episode of the new series starts at 6:30pm on Monday 25th January on BBC Two, with the series continuing at the same time every subsequent day of the week.
So far, 25 episodes of the programme have been commissioned, meaning the series will be airing for five weeks until the final episode on Friday 26th February.
Lightning host
The series is presented by comedian Zoe Lyons, who has previously appeared on a number of popular shows, including Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Dave's One Night Stand and QI.
Speaking after the series was first announced by the BBC, Lyons said, "It’s incredibly exciting to be the host of Lightning. It’s a dream job for me as I’m a massive quiz fan and – unlike the contestants – I love being in the spotlight.”
In a recent interview with What's On TV, she expanded on her role as host, explaining that she "loved every second of it".
"It’s an exciting and tense show but in between the aim was to have fun. The production company has made a great job of getting a great cast of people together and that makes it. We had a right laugh making it," she added.
Lightning rules
The quiz includes a very fast-paced format, which the BBC says will bring "a new pace and tone to the teatime quiz slot".
Each episode, six contestants take part in six rounds while trying their best to stay out of the glow of a patrolling spotlight – which has the power to eliminate competitors.
To stay out of the spotlight's path, the challengers must simply answer quick-fire questions correctly and take part in a range of physical trials.
Explaining some of those physical challenges Zoe Lyons said, "There’s a physical challenge round that’s hilarious. To the naked eye the games seem fairly simple, but are actually incredibly irritating if you can’t get them the first time."
Lightning begins on Monday 25th January 2021 at 6:30pm on BBC Two. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
