Graham Norton to host ICONIC game show as it returns after 23 years

ITV signs Graham Norton to host iconic game show reboot in ‘high six figure deal’ with the star already raking in £2M a year at rival BBC

As one of the highest-­paid stars at the BBC, Graham Norton is already thought to earn in excess of £2 million for his Friday night chat show.

And now the comedian has found himself another lucrative job – as the host of a reboot of the quiz show Wheel of Fortune on the Beeb’s rival channel ITV.

The network has announced that Norton, 60, will be fronting a remake of the iconic game show which ran from 1988 until 2001, next year following the footsteps of his BBC co-stars Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball who have also found themselves second jobs at ITV recently.

He will return for eight episodes of the show, as well as two celebrity specials which are expected to be aired in a prime time slot in 2024 which will all be pre-recorded. It is understood that he will be paid a ‘high-six figure sum’ for his role.

It comes after the ITV attempted to bring it back last year with Alison Hammond hosting but the pilots were not deemed strong enough to be commissioned.

Host with the most:As one of the highest-­paid stars at the BBC, Graham Norton is already thought to earn in excess of £2 million for his Friday night chat show

Big bucks: And now the comedian has found himself another lucrative job – as the host of a reboot of the quiz show Wheel of Fortune on the Beeb’s rival channel ITV

Chiefs at the broadcaster then decided to make an audacious bid to sign Norton – who is one of the BBC’s most popular stars.

Speaking of his new role, Norton said: ‘I’m beyond excited to be bringing such an iconic American show to a new British audience. My first ever TV job was a game show on ITV so this feels like coming full circle. You might even call it a wheel!’

Norton’s BBC salary is no longer published on the list of salaries it pays its staff as The Graham Norton show is made by his own company, So Television. The Corporation refuses to reveal what it pays to independent companies as it views that information as commercially sensitive.

However, in May 2021 it was revealed he received £3.23m from his business though not all of it is thought to have been profits from his work at the BBC.

Norton’s new deal with ITV has angered both executives at the BBC who have grown tired of their rival network taking their biggest stars and putting them on air at the weekends and evenings.

In 2021, Match of the Day host Lineker, 62, who is paid £1.35 million by the Beeb launched a quiz show on ITV called Sitting on A Fortune. Meanwhile, Ms Ball, 52, has just finished filming a new search for a star production for ITV called Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The show, which searches for a new stars to play Sophie and Sky in a West End production, will air in the autumn probably at the weekends.

Wheel of Fortune is the latest iconic programme to be remade recently. Gladiators, which was hugely popular and screened on ITV back in the 1990’s is returning later this year on BBC. Deal or No Deal will be making a comeback on ITV along with reality show Big Brother which is being reignted by the network 23 years after it launched on Channel 4.

The series which has been a staple of American television since it’s launch in 1975, was previously hosted by John Leslie, Nicky Campbell and Bradley Walsh when it aired on ITV between 1988 and 2001. 

Game show: The show which has been a staple of American television since it’s launch in 1975, was previously hosted by John Leslie and Nicky Campbell when it aired on ITV between 1988 and 2001 (Nicky Campbell and his co-host Carol Smillie pictured in 1988) 

Quiz: The ITV series also made stars of Jenny Powell, Carol Smillie, and Simon Cowell’s ex Terri Seymour (John Leslie pictured with Terri Seymour in 2000)

Glamour: The ladies would serve as glamorous assistants on the show as they they helped reveal the unseen letters (Jenny Powell and Bradley Walsh pictured in 1997)

In the game of skill and luck, the turn of the wheel secures a cash value before they pick a letter to help them solve the puzzle. 

For every correct letter they reveal in the puzzle they win multiples of that amount. The pressure is on as they could lose everything at a spin of a wheel which contains ‘bankrupts’ and ‘lose a turn’ and the contestants’ entire winnings could be wiped out.

In addition to cash, contestants can also win some impressive prizes which are added to their cash pot to help them reach the bonus round. 

Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning, ITV said: ‘We are thrilled to have the much loved Graham Norton bringing this iconic game show to our viewers. Anything can happen on the spin of a wheel, it is going to be so much fun.’

The ITV series also made stars of Jenny Powell, Carol Smillie, and Simon Cowell’s ex Terri Seymour.

The ladies would serve as glamorous assistants on the show as they they helped reveal the unseen letters.

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