ITV viewers have savaged Jeremy Clarkson's new quiz show, Millionaire Hot Seat, branding it 'rubbish' and an 'awful rehash' within minutes of its launch on Tuesday night (January 7). The spin-off of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? promises a faster, tougher format, but fans were quick to dismiss it as stripping away everything they loved about the original.
Hosted by Clarkson, 65, the show pits six contestants against each other for a seat in the 'hot seat', with just 15 seconds to answer each question. Correct answers climb the money ladder, but wrong answers send contestants to the back of the queue, reducing the maximum prize. Clarkson described it as 'pure concentrated Who Wants To Be A Millionaire juice', but viewers were unconvinced.
Social media was flooded with complaints, with one viewer writing: 'These people all like the sound of their own voices… or think they’re on regular WWTBAM…' Another snapped: 'Can’t they just answer the question and stop talking sh**e all the time?' Others criticised the 15-second limit, with one saying: 'Do they realise how long 15 seconds is? Stop yapping.'
Criticism continued throughout the episode, with one fan predicting: 'How many nights is this on? Awful rehash of the show. I give it one series.' Another called it 'bloody awful', adding: 'Just turns it into a guessing game without any strategy and decision making.' Some labelled it 'Pound shop TV', while another joked: 'A show where the prize gets worse as the show goes on… who green lit that?'
Despite the backlash, the first episode crowned a winner: firefighter Simon Williams from London, who won £20,000 after a 'total guess' on a question about Ridley Scott films. He plans to spend the winnings on a family holiday, a trip to the Maldives with his girlfriend, and a football season ticket for his son. The episode also saw one contestant immediately eliminated after failing to answer a passed question about Caesar salad ingredients, prompting Clarkson to remark: 'What a brutal game! It's so brutal.'
While a handful of viewers admitted they 'quite liked' the shake-up, the overwhelming reaction was negative, with many hoping the show will not return for a second series.
