Tipping Point's Ben Shephard on the future of the ITV gameshow

Asked how long he sees the series going on for, he told RadioTimes.com exclusively: "I think I will keep making it as long as people keep watching it."

He continued: "I absolutely love it. My team are amazing - my execs, Sarah and Kate who have been with the show for as long as I can remember, are just extraordinary.

"I mean, there's so many unsung heroes with the show. People behind-the-scenes who continue to turn up and keep it there."

Tipping Point first launched on ITV on 2nd July 2012, with Shephard at the helm from the start of the show, which sees contestants answering general knowledge questions to win counters which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine.

So, did he think it would still be on air today?

"I don't think anybody could. I think if you spoke to anybody that has a TV show that lasts more than a couple of years, I mean, I've made shows that didn't get to series 2. So the fact that this one is series 12, it's quite remarkable.

"Interestingly, if I happen to be at home and the TV's on and it pops on, I still get as engrossed in it as I was when we first started playing it. It's brilliant fun!

"We didn't know how it's going to be received by people or if it will be as much fun to watch as it is to play. And fortunately it still is and a couple million people watch it a day and I think that is just a gift, right? It's just a real privilege."

The format of the show has kept pretty much the same since the beginning, with four contestants answering questions – however, the new season will now only include three contestants to match the celebrity version.

Speaking of the changes, Shephard continued: "Series 12 is slightly different with having a new format and there only being three contestants, not four contestants.

"The lovely thing about that means that I get more time with the contestants and no one goes at the end of round one, so you can still get to the final because you get a chance to do the quick-fire round in round two, which is the round that everybody's terrified of.

"I'm really excited for people to see it because that's a big change from a show that everybody loves, but hopefully they'll understand why we love it and why the contestants are loving it as well."

Tipping Point airs on ITV and ITV Hub on weekdays at 4pm. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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