Jeopardy! UK has been suddenly axed by ITV after two seasons, and fans have reacted to the news.
Jeopardy! UK is hosted by British actor and comedian Stephen Fry. While the UK and US versions have similar rules and both use the question and answer format, there are a few differences, not least of which is the British version ran for an hour and was more of a genteel parlor game than the show fans know in America.
Fry told Radio Times, “The only real difference is that the UK version is a little longer with an extra round. The signature Jeopardy! oddity of the questions being answers and the responses having to be given in the form of questions remains the same.” Also, the UK version does not air every week night. The season only features 22 episodes and the chance to win a huge cash prize, if they make it to the end.
“I was fairly insistent from the outset that we shouldn’t compromise on the standard or d***er about with the rules and procedures which are time-honoured and proven,” he went on. Fry said that the production company and ITV agreed with him.
TV Zone reported that the game show will not return for a third season. The announcement came one year after season two aired on ITV1 at 3pm. Game shows Lingo and Riddiculous also air in that time slot.
Jeopardy! UK had contestants answer general knowledge questions in the form of a question. The longer they stay in the game, the more money they can amass. Fans can watch past seasons of the show on ITVX.
Although no exact reason was given, the spinoff could have been canceled because Fry is set to star in the second season of the ITV show, The Assembly. The show is an acclaimed documentary/interview series where a group of neurodivergent, autistic, or learning-disabled individuals interview high-profile celebrities.
Fans reacted to the news on Reddit, with some saying Fry was not a good host.”It was so much slower than the US version, made for a hard watch,” one said.
“Agreed. The pacing was super off,” another commented.
“It was truly awful. I feel like the norm in the UK (other than University Challenge) is a total of ten questions and a tonnnnnn of fluff. They tried to cater to that and it was painful,” a third added.
“The show had many structural issues. But the main factor is that the host has other commitments…” a fan pointed out.
“Stephen Fry was not a good host, it felt like he had to comment on every clue and the pacing was bad,” one said.
“He’s not a great host, tbh. He wanted to outshine the contestants and always talked too much in between questions. Same on his Australia show,” another wrote.
“What an incredibly boring version of Jeopardy!” one last fan said.
Are you sad about the cancelation? Let us know in the comments.
Jeopardy! UK, now streaming, ITVX
