Stephen Fry teases 'life-changing' amounts won in new series of ITV Jeopardy!

The popular quiz show Jeopardy! is making a triumphant return to UK screens this month with a schedule of 25 hour-long episodes. A hit in the United States, the show made its British debut on Channel 4 during the 1980s.

After a stint with ITV and a move to Sky One in 1995, the show wrapped up in 1996. However, following a well-received revival by ITV last year, the much-loved quiz is back once more.

With the second series set to launch on March 17, the show's host, Stephen Fry, has revealed an incredibly momentous event that viewers can look forward to witnessing, reports Bristol Live.

While acknowledging the substantial financial rewards up for grabs, he 67-year-old indicated the unpredictable nature of Jeopardy!

He said: "It's one of the features of Jeopardy! and it's an unpredictable one as to how long someone stays on because they keep winning. And if they can, then the sums they can win are, to use the cliché that all quizmasters love... life-changing [laughs]."

"It was thrilling. We had two who were both remarkable quizzers. As a viewer, you have the vertical excitement, which is the game on the day, and there's the horizontal excitement, which is wondering if they'll still be there tomorrow."

Stephen also hinted at some riveting competition in the upcoming series, particularly highlighting one contestant's exceptional ability to buzz in before their rivals, terming it a 'freakish' skill.

The presenter's take on the competitive spirit among contestants was clear as he commented: "We know people who haven't got the answer right or haven't won sometimes say, 'Oh, I was buzzing, but they were just too quick for me,' but that really was true for a few of them."

This year's series promises to deliver the same excitement as players display their trivia prowess and increase their winnings, but not without some fresh alterations to shake things up.

Stephen disclosed: "We've tweaked the format to give it more pace. It's great that ITV has given us an hour, and we enjoyed that in the first series. But we felt that it wouldn't lose anything by having an extra round in it."

He further elaborated on enhancing the show's dynamism, commenting: "That would mean everything was quicker. And there is something about the rat-a-tat-tat of the game.

"The questions keep coming, and that adds to the tension and the excitement, and to the uniqueness of Jeopardy! My belief is that with the little tweaks we've made, it'll be even more exciting."

The second series of Jeopardy! will air on Monday, March 17 on ITV1 and ITVX from 3pm.