Jeremy Clarkson and ITV have reportedly been given the go-ahead to order a new run of the quiz show for 2025 after the Diddly Squat Farm owner was teetering on the edge after comments he made regarding Meghan Markle.
The future of the show has been up in the air since December 2022 when Clarkson wrote in his The Sun column that he dreamt of the day that Markle was “made to parade through the streets of every town” whilst the crowds chanted “shame”.
After his comments, ITV director of TV Kevin Lygo distanced himself from the broadcaster and described his comments as “awful”, which cast doubt on whether Clarkson would continue to helm the show.
Now, 18 months on from the scandal, ITV is believed to have been given the green light for a new series which will comprise a mix of regular episodes and celebrity specials.
According to Broadcast, the most recent series averaged an impressive 3.5million viewers, while the last two series have been streamed 4.9million times on ITVX to date.
GB News has contacted ITV for a comment.
HIs future in the show was put into doubt after his comments towards Meghan Markle
ITV
The good news comes after Clarkson was reportedly given a “lifeline” by ITV bosses after his column became Ipso’s most-complained about article after its publication, receiving more than 25,100 complaints.
Clarkson was quick to issue an apology for the language he used, describing his words as “disgraceful”, adding he was “profoundly sorry”.
Back in March, a source claimed that Clarkson would continue to be the presenter and said: “Clarkson made a big mistake with his column, but unusually for him, he did apologise wholeheartedly afterwards.”
The insider continued to The Mirror: “ITV have been playing a waiting game to see how things look and how people have been reacting to new episodes going out this year of Millionaire with Clarkson.
The former Top Gear star has continued to work with Amazon on his farm series
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“There has been no huge reaction and so a decision has been made to continue with him in the chair. It is a second chance for Clarkson but if he were to overstep the mark again it’s unlikely there will be a third chance.”
Adding to the addition of a new series, an ITV spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: “There are more brand new episodes of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire that will be played on ITV later this year.
“As is typical with such shows, we make commissioning decisions on a series-by-series basis and as such we are yet to confirm further commissioning commitments beyond that.”
At the time, Lygo added: “What I would say, there’s still quite a number of episodes to yet play out. It’s doing well at the moment, we’ll continue to monitor how it does.
Jeremy issues an apology after his comments about Megan and claimed he was “profoundly” sorry
GETTY
“As you know, I never like to say we will or we won’t be recommissioning until a series has finished its transmission and we can properly assess how it’s done. We’re very pleased with how it’s doing now, but there are something like another eight/nine episodes to go out.
“Some continuing now, some later in the year, then we’ll take a view at that point. We’re delighted with the performance so far.”
