Racing hearts, dry mouths, shaky hands. That wasn’t just the contestants but the hosts as well, and I’ll wager millions of viewers had the same symptoms. Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win (ITV) was the most viscerally thrilling big-money game show since Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? gripped the nation at the turn of the millennium.
The two-headed hosting hydra has a chequered history when it comes to game shows. Messrs McPartlin and Donnelly cut their primetime teeth on the fine but forgettable Friends Like These. However, all their subsequent efforts flopped. Red or Black, PokerFace or Push the Button, anyone? Can’t say I blame you. They even attempted an American quiz called Wanna Bet?. That bombed too.
The duo has dabbled in game show segments within their variety shows – cult favourite “Wonkey Donkey” on SM:TV, “Win the Ads” on Saturday Night Takeaway – but a bona fide game show hit is one of the rare gaps on the all-conquering pair’s entertainment CVs.
They’ve recently stuck to their reassuringly successful formats: Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent, I’m a Celebrity. Surprisingly, in fact, Limitless Win was the duo’s first all-new series for more than a decade. On the evidence of its launch episode, they’ve chosen wisely. After years of trying and failing, they might have finally cracked this game show lark.
The show’s key selling point is the world’s first limitless jackpot. Contestants could potentially walk away with the biggest cash prize in TV history. I trust ITV’s pockets are deep and indemnity policies are up to date, because the upper rungs of the money ladder ran into multi-millions.
