Password Lands on ITV

ITV has commissioned a U.K. adaptation of the U.S. guessing game show Password, with Stephen Mangan as host.

Comedian Alan Carr and actor and writer Daisy May Cooper will serve as the show’s resident team captains, providing one-word clues to help contestants guess the mystery password. Talkback, a Fremantle label, is producing the British iteration.

Password was originally created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Productions. It launched on CBS in 1961 and ran for over 1,500 episodes before moving to ABC in 1971. NBC revived the show in 1979 and 1984 before CBS made a prime-time version, Million Dollar Password, in 2008. In 2022, it was revived again, with Jimmy Fallon starring and Keke Palmer hosting. Fremantle holds the international production and distribution rights to the format.

Mangan said “Password is a fantastic game show. so it’s an absolute pleasure to be the host. Although how I’m going to keep Daisy and Alan in line, I don’t know!”

Carr commented: “I can’t wait to wipe the floor with Daisy; she’ll be heading back to the West Country with her tail between her legs. If only her brain was as big as her mouth.”

Cooper added: “I’m looking forward to knocking the glasses off Alan with my exceptional talent for this game. I know that, given both our training (me—drama school, Alan—Tesco), between us (meaning mostly me), we will be able to win people lots of cash (just to reiterate when I say ‘we’ I mean ‘me’).”

Jonno Richards, managing director of Talkback, said: “We’re so excited to be launching Password in the U.K. with the fantastic Alan, Daisy and Stephen. These three stars combined with some brilliant contestants and a cracking game promises to be a real treat for the ITV viewer.”

Katie Rawcliffe, head of entertainment commissioning at ITV, added: “Password is a brilliantly fun format greatly complemented by a fabulous on-screen trio in Alan, Daisy and Stephen. 2023 has been a great year for game shows on ITV, and there are plenty more to come in 2024.”