Channel 9 has now officially confirmed that popular British actor, presenter, and comedian Stephen Fry as the host for the network’s upcoming Australian version of the classic US quiz show Jeopardy!.
The six-part limited series will be filmed in the UK featuring Australian contestants and will be titled Jeopardy! Australia.
Fry, known for his roles in Blackadder and as the host of QI, will also be the executive producer of the Australian version alongside Kerri Reid and Tom McLennan.
Production is set to begin this May, with shooting taking place in Manchester alongside the 20-part UK version.
“Jeopardy! has a format that – strikingly unusual as it seems at first – just gets under the skin of an audience, and reveals more and more depths of delight,”
commented Stephen Fry on his involvement with the show.
Jeopardy!, originally created by gameshow legend Merv Griffin and on-air since 1964, is one of the world’s greatest quizshow formats. The US version is produced by SPT and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution, which also holds the format rights.
Adrian Swift, Nine’s head of content, production, and development added:
“Nine is thrilled to welcome two great institutions to the network: Jeopardy! the world’s greatest quizshow format, and Stephen Fry, the doyen of TV hosts,”
The show will be produced by UK production company Whisper North, a division of Whisper, which is owned by Sony Pictures Television (SPT).
James Barrow