Who Wants to be a Millionaire rules might see a HUGE change this year

Who Wants to be a Millionaire
(Image credit: Stellify Media)

The quiz show might look very different...

Who Wants to be a Millionaire is likely to start filming again in July, after other programmes have safely returned to sets.

But social distancing measures are still in place across the country, requiring teams to adapt to the new normal.

According to The Sun, the iconic quiz show is also looking at ways to adapt to social distancing during filming.

A source revealed, "Bosses are keen to get Millionaire back as soon as possible.

“They’re hoping they can get the green light to get Jeremy and contestants back in the studio next month and air in the autumn.”

Who Wants to be a Millionaire

The Millionaire studio could look a lot different this series...

But there's the issue of the Ask the Audience lifeline, because under social distancing rules there's a chance there'd be no studio audience.

The source suggested that if that were the case, they'd have to look at new lifelines to replace the classic Ask the Audience.

“The next issue is the audience and, if there isn’t one, then the lifelines. They’ve discussed a new lifeline entirely, or giving contestants the opportunity to call two friends for help.”

When Jeremy Clarkson took over as host for the revamped series, Who Wants to be a Millionaire saw some changes to its format.

The first was setting your own safety net as you progressed, rather than at £32,000 by default.

Secondly, it saw the addition of a brand new lifeline Ask the Host, giving players four in total.

Based on the source's comments, the game show wants to keep the four lifelines that has come with the new series.

Jeremy Clarkson hasn't yet seen a contestant win a million pounds, but one person came very close recently.

Andrew Townsley reached the £1m pound question, but had to walk away after not being 100% sure on the answer.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress