Long running quiz show has been shelved, reveals host after he confirms he hasn’t filmed episode for a year
LONG-running quiz show Eggheads is no more, says its host JEREMY VINE.
It’s been on air since 2003 when it first began on BBC One, then moved to BBC Two and in 2021 was picked up by Channel 5.
Rumours have been rife the format had been shelved since its last episode screened in April 2023.
Now Jeremy has all but confirmed the chop.
He told me: “I haven’t heard anything about Eggheads for a while now.
“I think I have done about 1200 shows – but whether we are doing any more I don’t know.
“We last filmed an episode over a year ago.
“It may well be we are doing it in 30 years’ time, who knows, but no immediate plans for any more.”
The quiz saw a group of contestants take on the panel of ‘egghead’ experts to win money – just like ITV rival and copycat show, The Chase.
The show first kicked off in 2003 on the BBC, hosted by Dermot Murnaghan.
Jeremy was introduced as a host in 2008, and the pair rotated as presenters, before he took over as the sole host in season 16.
In 2021, it was announced that it was moving to Channel 5, with Vine and the most recent Eggheads returning.
Season one of the Channel 5 show kicked off in October 2021, and season two aired in February 2022.
It was previously branded the country’s most winnable game show.
An in-depth study looked at 28 major UK gameshows to analyse which have the highest ‘win-ability’.
They were scored out of 20 on their maximum cash prize, number of team members and opponents, volume of questions or rounds, and the type of skill required to compete.
University Challenge scored the lowest, offering no cash prize despite being the most difficult to win – although winning Jeremy Paxman’s show comes with prestige beyond monetary value.
Pointless was second on the win-ability chart, followed by The Wall, The Chase, and Rylan Clark-Neal’s Supermarket Sweep.