Jeremy Clarkson in huge new career move as he lands exciting TV role despite setback with beer brand
Jeremy Clarkson has pocketed a gig presenting Millionaire Hot Seat, a spin-off of the popular TV gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Contestants in the hot seat have to think quickly and answer under pressure while playing against the clock – and each other.
ITV announced a bumper order across its Millionaire franchise, including an extended run of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Filming is set to begin this November, with a UK launch slated for 2026.
A TV insider said: “This is a massive show of support for Jeremy from ITV who want to keep him with the channel because they recognise the fact he’s still one of telly’s biggest stars.”
Execs see him as having made Millionaire very much his own show, moving it on from its early years under Chris Tarrant.
“Commissioning a new spin-off for him is very much an indication of that, too.”
The move follows Millionaire Hot Seat’s success in Australia, with over 2,500 episodes aired already.
Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Entertainment & Daytime Commissioning at ITV, said: “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has reached 18 million viewers on ITV so far this year alone.
“Commissioning a new spin-off format to further capitalise on the brand’s success and popularity was a no-brainer, especially with Millionaire Hot Seat already doing so well in other territories also.”
The announcement came in the wake of a setback after his TV ad for his Diddly Squat Farm’s beer brand, Hawkstone, was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The advert, which features a 34-strong choir of British farmers singing a reworked rendition of the “Flower Duet”, was axed due to explicit language.
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The decision to pull the plug was due to the alteration of lyrics to sing “F*** me it’s good” repeatedly throughout the advertisement.
Clarkson also appears in the commercial, taking a sip of a pint amidst the choir before declaring to the camera: “Hawkstone. It is f***ing good.”
Broadcasting regulators have deemed the production “not compliant” with standards, and have banned it from airing on TV, radio and cinema broadcasts.
Clarkson, 65, accused the so-called “fun police” of refusing to allow the advertisement to air, adding: “It’s a cock-up, as usual.
“I’ve made my biggest, most heartfelt, and frankly, most expensive advert ever, and it’s been banned.
“The fun police in their beige offices have decided that the public can’t be trusted to watch it. It’s been kicked off the telly, silenced on the radio, and barred from the cinema,” he continued.
People weren’t surprised the ad was pulled and piled in on social media, with one person stating: “This advert is bl**dy brilliant, but I can see why it was pulled.”
Another chimed in with: “Ah. Okay, now I see why this was banned.”
Clarkson succeeded Chris Tarrant as host of the franchise, who hosted every episode of the original series in the UK between 1998 and 2014.
The show was shelved after Tarrant left, but to commemorate the 20th anniversary, a special series of episodes was produced, presented by Clarkson.
The success of the reboot landed the ex-Top Gear host a spot as the lead of the new series.