Jeremy Clarkson just can't stop coming out on top after his firing from Top Gear. First, the presenter moved to Amazon to start his own car series The Grand Tour, whilst his former network The BBC tried to experiment with new hosts that are still struggling to find their footing, and now Clarkson may soon be the host of a reboot of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The series is currently looking to make a comeback in the United Kingdom.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has only left American televisions very briefly since its debut in 1999, but the show's longevity in Britain is a different story. The show was canceled by ITV four years ago, so a reboot of the series could be a big deal to television audiences across the pond. With Deadline reporting that Jeremy Clarkson might be the host of the series, that's an even bigger deal for Brits as the presenter has been one of the more popular television personalities in the country. The television presenter, who has around 7.18 million Twitter followers, has not commented on the rumors surrounding him and this television reboot.
The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? reboot is being produced by the folks at the Sony-owned production company Stellify Media, who are also behind the Jackass-meets-Wipeout style show set to come to Netflix. The reported move to snag Jeremy Clarkson could indicate that there are high expectations for this reboot, as the American version of the series has survived with far less notable hosts over the years. Someone with Clarkson's level of celebrity could even make for a reboot large enough to air for American audiences as well, although it would appear this reboot is entirely localized to Europe at the moment.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? began in Britain in 1998 and soon became an international phenomenon as several other versions of the series began to premiere in other countries. The British series was hosted by presenter Chris Tarrant, who hosted the series from its inception right up until its end in 2014. When compared to America's handful of hosts since the series' premiere in the States, Tarrant's run is quite impressive. Suffice it to say given the prestige of the original series and the success it celebrated, the reboot almost needs Jeremy Clarkson to have a shot at being as successful.
Jeremy Clarkson may have the time in his schedule to commit to a television reboot of the series, as there's not too much he's responsible for beyond The Grand Tour. Even then, The Grand Tour filming schedule and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? filming schedule shouldn't conflict all that much with each other, so if Clarkson has quietly committed to this, it wouldn't be surprising. What would be surprising is if he somehow convinced fellow hosts of The Grand Tour Richard Hammond and James May to host as well, although the chances of that are slim to nil.
The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? reboot is happening at ITV and no release date is available at this time. For some information regarding American television, visit our midseason premiere guide.
