This was the thirty-first series of the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. It is the first series since 2014, the first with Jeremy Clarkson as host, and the first series since 2007 to revert back to the classic Keith & Matthew Strachan music cues; from 2007-2014, the show used the Ramon Covalo music cues. This series is branded as the "20th Anniversary Celebration."
The series was filmed in the ITV Salford studios in MediaCityUK, Manchester and was broadcast every night from 5th to 11th May at 9pm.
Changes
While the format stayed the same, a few changes were added to the show, including:
- The number of Fastest Finger First contestants was reduced from 10 to just 6 per episode.
- Contestants can choose their second safety net, ranging from £2,000 to £500,000. Before the question, Jeremy will ask if the contestant want to set their safety net there.
- A new lifeline, Ask the Host, was added. It allows contestants to ask the host.
- When showing the results for Fastest Finger First, instead of revealing the contestants who got it right and their time at the same time, Jeremy will first reveal the contestants who got it right, and then their time will be revealed.
- A new, more modern set was added.
- Instead of going home with a cheque, their prize money will be send to their bank account through a special button (the mouse).
- The screen no longer says "Total Prize (Money)" at the end of the contestant's game.
Gameplay
The gameplay is virtually the same as the 1998-2007 format, but with some added features - the contestants can adjust their second safety net, and they also have a new lifeline called Ask the Host.
Lifelines
Money Tree
The first guaranteed sum will still be at question 5, worth £1,000. For the second guaranteed sum, the player can choose from £2,000 all the way up to £500,000 in an adjustable high-risk format.
| Question No. |
Correct Answer Value |
Walk Away Value |
Miss Answer Value |
Amount Lost for a Wrong Answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £100 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| 2 | £200 | £100 | £0 | £100 |
| 3 | £300 | £200 | £0 | £200 |
| 4 | £500 | £300 | £0 | £300 |
| 5 | £1,000 | £500 | £0 | £500 |
| 6 | £2,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £0 |
| 7 | £4,000 | £2,000 | depends on the second safety net | |
| 8 | £8,000 | £4,000 | ||
| 9 | £16,000 | £8,000 | ||
| 10 | £32,000 | £16,000 | ||
| 11 | £64,000 | £32,000 | ||
| 12 | £125,000 | £64,000 | ||
| 13 | £250,000 | £125,000 | ||
| 14 | £500,000 | £250,000 | ||
| 15 | £1 Million | £500,000 | ||
The highest possible risk is £498,000 (risking at the million pound question with the safety net at only £2,000).
Amounts lost depending on the second safety net
| No. | Question Value |
Amount Lost for a Wrong Answer (if safety net is set at...) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Set | £2,000 | £4,000 | £8,000 | £16,000 | £32,000 | £64,000 | £125,000 | £250,000 | £500,000 | ||
| 6 | £2,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| 7 | £4,000 | £1,000 | £0 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| 8 | £8,000 | £3,000 | £2,000 | £0 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 |
| 9 | £16,000 | £7,000 | £6,000 | £4,000 | £0 | £7,000 | £7,000 | £7,000 | £7,000 | £7,000 | £7,000 |
| 10 | £32,000 | £15,000 | £14,000 | £12,000 | £8,000 | £0 | £15,000 | £15,000 | £15,000 | £15,000 | £15,000 |
| 11 | £64,000 | £31,000 | £30,000 | £28,000 | £24,000 | £16,000 | £0 | £31,000 | £31,000 | £31,000 | £31,000 |
| 12 | £125,000 | £63,000 | £62,000 | £60,000 | £56,000 | £48,000 | £32,000 | £0 | £63,000 | £63,000 | £63,000 |
| 13 | £250,000 | £124,000 | £123,000 | £121,000 | £117,000 | £109,000 | £93,000 | £61,000 | £0 | £124,000 | £124,000 |
| 14 | £500,000 | £249,000 | £248,000 | £246,000 | £242,000 | £234,000 | £218,000 | £186,000 | £125,000 | £0 | £249,000 |
| 15 | £1 Million | - | £498,000 | £496,000 | £492,000 | £484,000 | £468,000 | £436,000 | £375,000 | £250,000 | £0 |
Episode List
- Episode 1 (Saturday 5th May 2018)
Ricky Holmes (£8,000 - safety net on £16,000) Heather Wride (£1,000 - lost on £4,000) David Fraser (£1,000 - lost on £2,000)
- Episode 2 (Sunday 6th May 2018)
David Reis (£32,000 - safety net on £64,000) Louise Gourley (£16,000 - lost on £32,000 - safety net on £16,000)
- Episode 3 (Monday 7th May 2018)
Tom Holmes (£32,000 - safety net on £16,000) Sarah Wilkinson (£1,000 - lost on £16,000) Chris Best (continued)
- Episode 4 (Tuesday 8th May 2018)
Chris Best (£1,000 - lost on £4,000) Lynn Buckingham (£1,000 - lost on £64,000 - safety net on £64,000) Amy Bordas (£1,000 - lost on £2,000)
- Episode 5 (Wednesday 9th May 2018)
Mustafa Ahmed (£1,000 - lost on £16,000) Emma Graham (£1,000 - lost on £16,000) Gareth Kendall (continued)
- Episode 6 (Thursday 10th May 2018)
Gareth Kendall (£125,000 - safety net on £16,000) Ian Hemingway (£32,000 - lost on £125,000 - safety net on £32,000) Alan Horsburgh (continued)
- Episode 7 (Friday 11th May 2018)
Alan Horsburgh (£1,000 - lost on £32,000) Paul MacAulay (£64,000 - safety net at £125,000)
Trivia
- Number of contestants: 16.
- Number of questions: 151.
- The total amount of lost winnings in this series is £101,000.
- Ian Hemingway was the player to lose the largest sum of money of the series, after answering his £125,000 question incorrectly. He had his safety net at £32,000, so he lost £32,000.
- Players who used two lifelines on one question:
- Ricky Holmes (episode 1) on £8,000
- Louise Gourley (episode 2) on £16,000
- Lynn Buckingham (episode 4) on £32,000 and £64,000
- Mustafa Ahmed (episode 5) on £300
- Players who used three lifelines on one question:
- David Reis (episode 2) on £32,000
- Chris Best (episode 4) on £4,000
- Paul MacAulay (episode 7) on £64,000
- Audience statistics:
- Correct votings: 8 of 8
- Highest percentages of an answer - 96% - David Reis
- Lowest percentages of an answer being right - 43% - Tom Holmes
- Lowest percentages of an answer used by player(s) - 43% - Tom Holmes
- Lowest range of results (4 answers) - 29% - (43% - 14%) - Tom Holmes
- Lowest level - £200 (2nd question) - Ricky Holmes
- Highest level - £64,000 (11th question) - Paul MacAulay
- Phone a Friend guesses (7 in total):
- Correct - 3 (once not used)
- Wrong - 2 (once not used)
- Without clue - 2
- Jeremy Clarkson's guesses for Ask the Host (7 in total):
- Correct - 4
- Wrong - 1
- Without clue - 3
- Progression of going the farthest without using any lifelines:
- Ricky Holmes (episode 1) - £200
- Heather Wride (episode 1) - £500
- David Reis (episode 2) - £1,000
- Louise Gourley (episode 2) - £4,000
- Lynn Buckingham (episode 4) - £16,000
- Paul MacAulay (episode 7) - £32,000
- Series ratings:
- Episode 1: 5,100,000
- Episode 2: 3,800,000 (down 1,300,000)
- Episode 3: 3,900,000 (up 100,000)
- Episode 4: 3,900,000
- Episode 5: 3,700,000 (down 200,000)
- Episode 6: 4,300,000 (up 600,000)
- Episode 7: 4,700,000 (up 400,000)
- Average ratings per episode: 4,200,000
| Preceded by Series 30 |
UK Series Series 31 |
Succeeded by - |