Manchester’s Social Media Makes Sense (SMMS) is getting in the Hot Seat with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’s Jeremy Clarkson.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire Producer Stellify Media (a Sony Pictures Television-backed company) has chosen SMMS to handle the social media content for the 30-minute spin-off show Millionaire Hot Seat, a brand new, fast-paced version of the global Millionaire format, hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, which is currently in production in MediaCity’s dock10 studio and is airing all this week on ITV. Hot Seat requires players to think tactically and answer under pressure as they compete against the clock, and each other.
Like the main show, Jeremy Clarkson is fronting Millionaire Hot Seat, a format that started in Australia nearly 20 years ago but is making its way to UK viewers for the first time in 2026.
Clarkson will host six players each episode, who are playing against each other and the clock – but must also work as a team to increase the top prize up for grabs. The aim is to be in the hot seat for the final question of the game.
As with the familiar Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? format, contestants will face questions with four multiple-choice potential answers, but in this new series they’ll be timed to make a decision and will not have any lifelines available to them.
To climb the Million Pound Money Ladder, contestants must come up with the right answer – get it wrong, and not only will they be eliminated but the jackpot amount drops down a rung for everyone else. If a player chooses to pass, they can push the question on to the next contestant, but they’ll move to the back of the line and might not get another chance in the hot seat.
Only one player can win any money in the fast-paced, high-stakes game, as they must be in the hot seat for the final question. Get it right, and they win the top prize; get it wrong, and they walk away with either the safety net amount or nothing if the contestants didn’t reach the safety net of five correct answers.
Just like the main series, there’s a potential top prize of becoming a millionaire, but that depends on answering every question correctly.
Clarkson said of the new format ahead of launch: “Think of it as like Millionaire after a massive can of energy drink,” adding: “It’s fast, it’s exciting, it’s Millionaire fitted with a supercharger.”
SMMS Director Jo Booth said: “It’s a real honour to be picked to promote one of the UK’s most iconic TV brands, delivered in a new and exciting way. We can’t wait to turn up the heat on their social media!”
The new series will air across four nights on ITV, from Tuesday, 6 January until Friday, 9 January. Episodes air at 7:30pm and viewers will also be able to catch up with episodes on ITVX.
