Game shows are a popular form of entertainment in the UK, and many Brits are bound to have their favourite.
Whether you like to test your maths and English skills when watching Countdown or show off your level of general knowledge when watching The Chase, there’s a game show format for everyone to enjoy.
One of the most important factors of a game show is, of course, the presenter. From family duos like Rochelle and Marvin Humes and Bradley and Barney Walsh to solo stars like Ben Shephard and Warwick Davis, game show hosts are always on hand to help and encourage their contestants in the quest to win cash prizes.
The team at Spin Genie UK has analysed various factors, such as average prize winnings, Google searches and Instagram followers, to determine the UK’s favourite TV game shows and presenters, as well as the game shows with the biggest prize winners.
The most-searched TV game shows in the UK
Ever wondered which TV game show might be the most popular when it comes to applications? Using searches such as “be on SHOW” and “SHOW applications”, we’ve researched which game shows the UK public wants to appear on the most.
1. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - 1,594,990 Google searches
Topping the list is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which first aired on ITV in 1998. It seems as though many people in the UK would like to appear on the show, as almost 1.6 million application-related searches have been made since 2020.
The original series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which ran from 1998 to 2014, was hosted by Chris Tarrant. The show then had a four-year hiatus before being revived in 2018 with Jeremy Clarkson as the new host. There have been 39 series to date, with the 40th series set to air in 2025.
2. Countdown - 187,200 Google searches
One of the UK’s longest-running game shows, Countdown, comes in second place. Since 2020, around 187,200 Google searches have been made about appearing on the show. Countdown was first broadcast on Channel 4 in 1982 and there have been over 8,300 episodes to date.
Richard Whiteley was the show’s first host, presenting it until his death in 2005. Colin Murray is the current host and has been presenting the programme since January 2023. Other presenters include Des Lynam, Des O’Connor, Jeff Stelling, Nick Hewer and Anne Robinson. In 2005, Tanmay Dixit became the youngest-ever player to appear on the show, at just eight years old.
3. Lingo - 77,290 Google searches
In third place is Lingo, which is based on the American game show of the same name. Almost 77,300 Google searches have been made since 2020, showing that many people in the UK would like to appear on the show.
Originally, the show aired for just one series in 1988 and was hosted by Martin Daniels. It was then revived in 2021 with Adil Ray as the new presenter. To date, there have been three series of the revival show, totalling over 110 episodes.
The UK game shows with the biggest prize winners
1. Limitless Win - £1 million prize win
The relatively new ITV game show, Limitless Win, tops the list of the biggest prize winners. The show, which is hosted by Ant and Dec, first aired in 2022 and quickly became the highest-rated game show of the year, averaging 4.7 million viewers1.
The available jackpot on the programme is hinted at in the name, with contestants able to win an unlimited amount of money. The highest amount won on the show to date is £1 million and has only been achieved by one pair. In series three, Helen and Charlie from Suffolk became the first pair to win the life-changing amount. The married couple became millionaires after correctly answering how many years it had been since Blur beat Oasis to the UK number-one spot with their song Country House.
1. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - £1 million prize win
Also in first place is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Again, as the name suggests, contestants can win up to £1 million if they manage to answer all 15 questions correctly. Since it was first broadcast in 1998, only six contestants have managed to bag the jackpot. In 2000, Judith Keppel became the first person to win £1 million on the show, and she later went on to form part of the quiz experts on Eggheads.
Donald Fear is the most recent person to win the jackpot on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? In 2020, he became the first and only contestant to date to win during Jeremy Clarkson’s time as host. In addition, Donald also became the first winner to complete the show with lifelines to spare, using only his 50:50 lifeline. Other top-prize winners include David Edwards, Robert Brydges, Ingram Wilcox and Pat Gibson, who also became a quiz expert on Eggheads.
3. The Wall - £122,142 prize win
Making the first appearance for a BBC show is The Wall, which first aired in 2019 and was hosted by Danny Dyer. The programme, which is based on an American show of the same name, is described as being ‘the ultimate game of risk and reward’. In 2020, brothers Gabriel and Daniel won over £122,000 after successfully defeating the wall.
Although they did initially reach £130,000, the pair received multiple red balls towards the end of the game, meaning money was deducted from their prize fund. Thankfully, Gabriel chose to rip up the contract that offered them just over £17,000, meaning that they would receive their total winnings. The siblings, who are both doctors, left host Danny Dyer nearly in tears after giving all of their winnings to their mum.
The UK’s favourite game show presenters
1. Ant and Dec - 9.62 / 10
Everyone’s favourite Geordie duo, Ant and Dec, take the top spot as the UK’s favourite game show presenters, earning a score of 9.62 out of 10. The pair, who both hail from Newcastle Upon Tyne, have a joint net worth of around £61.6 million. Their popularity is shown in their 5.2 million Instagram followers, meaning they could be earning nearly £47,000 per sponsored post. There were also nearly 1.5 million Google searches made for their names over the last year.
Ant and Dec have hosted various game shows throughout their presenting careers, including Red or Black? The show ran for two series in 2011 and 2012, with each episode’s jackpot sitting between £500,000 and £1.5 million. Celebrity guests, such as David Hasselhoff, Rory McIlroy, One Direction, Jessie J and Michelle Keegan, were featured in some of the rounds played by the contestants.
2. Jeremy Clarkson - 9.23 / 10
Following closely behind, with a score of 9.23 out of 10, is Jeremy Clarkson. As mentioned previously, Jeremy is the current host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, after taking over from Chris Tarrant. As well as presenting the regular series, Jeremy has also been involved with many celebrity specials, featuring guests such as Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, comedian Jimmy Carr and Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo.
Over the last year, almost four million searches were made on Google for Jeremy’s name, which is the highest of all of our analysed presenters. He has over 8.4 million followers on Instagram and potentially earns over £12,000 per sponsored post. These earnings contribute towards his £53.9 million net worth.
3. Ian Wright - 7.89 / 10
Ian Wright is in third place, earning a score of 7.89 out of 10. The London-born presenter has an estimated net worth of around £15.4 million. Ian has over 1.7 million Instagram followers and earns an estimated £15,600 for every sponsored post on the platform. Almost 1.4 million Google searches were made for his name over the last year.
While he’s more well-known for his association with football, Ian was the host of the ITV game show Moneyball. The programme aired for two series between 2021 and 2023, with a potential jackpot of £250,000. Multiple people won substantial amounts of money after appearing on the show. This includes step-dad and daughter Andy and Josie from Doncaster, who won £86,000 and mum-of-three Beth from Leeds, who won £61,000.
Methodology:
We began by creating a seed list of UK game shows using Wikipedia. Any game shows solely contested by celebrities weren’t included.
Next, we used Google Keyword Planner to gather the searches made for “be on SHOW” and “SHOW application” between July 2020 and June 2024.
We then sourced the biggest prize wins on game shows from the likes of One Question Shootout, UK Game Shows, Mirror, Independent and The Sun.
Next, we created a seed list of famous game show presenters using our previous seed list.
We used Google Keyword Planner to discover the searches made for each presenter’s name between July 2023 and June 2024.
We then gathered each presenter’s estimated net worth using Celebrity Net Worth and various other sources, such as The Sun and Entertainment Daily UK.
Next, we collected each presenter’s Instagram follower count.
We then used InBeat’s Instagram Money Calculator to discover each presenter’s estimated Instagram earnings.
Finally, we gave a normalised score out of ten for each factor and then took an average across all factors to form our overall score.
All data is correct as of 18 July 2024.
1 https://deadline.com/2022/03/limitless-win-endemol-shine-north-america-1234968543/
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