ITV to Air British Version of Beat Your Host

MUNICH, January 30:
SevenOne International has announced that British broadcaster ITV is developing
a local version of ProSieben’s Beat Your Host game-show format, titled Beat The Star.

Hosted by Vernon Kay, the
U.K. version will differ from the German concept by featuring a celebrity to
compete with a member of the public. Similar to the ProSieben version, the two
will have to take part in a number of competitions, including sports, knowledge
and dexterity. If the contestant beats the celebrity opponent, the contestant
will win 50,000 pounds. If the celebrity wins, the money will rollover, leaving
a 100,000 pounds jackpot in the following show.

The eight-episode series
is currently in production and will air later this year. The series is
executive produced by Matt Paice for Diverse Productions, Ed Forsdick, the
managing director of Gallowgate Productions, and Jörg Grabosch, the managing
director of BrainPool.

“Right from the start, Beat
Your Host has captured the
attention of the international TV market thanks to its innovative concept and
high audience shares,” said Jens
Richter, the managing director of SevenOne International. “In ITV, we’ve
found the perfect partner to adapt the show to one of the world’s most
important TV markets. Beat Your Host undoubtedly benefits from its extraordinary concept, and attracts
audiences because of the strong visual experiences that the competitions
offer.”

Duncan Gray, ITV’s
controller of entertainment, commented: “Beat The Star is a hugely dramatic piece of event TV—it
takes the thrills and spills of a sporting event and combines it with the
emotion and jeopardy of a high-stakes game show. ITV is thrilled to have this
project and we can’t wait to see it in our schedule.”

—By Ned Berke