Fate of popular comedian’s Channel 4 show confirmed by bosses after three series
THE future of a primetime Channel 4 comedy game show has been confirmed by bosses.
Presented by comedian Jimmy Carr, the show launched almost three years ago.
I Literally Just Told You aired its first episode in December 2021, with a total of 24 episodes broadcast to date.
In each episode, contestants have the opportunity to compete for a cash prize of up to £25,000, by answering questions that have been written live while the show is being filmed.
The questions may vary, covering anything that happens during the show, ranging from from a celebrity cameo to an off the cuff joke.
Or, even something one of the contestants has shared about themselves.
The show, which was created by former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon, will return for a new run of episodes beginning on Friday (July 12).
In fact, the first episode is a a celebrity special featuring famous faces Rylan Clark, Josie Gibson, Jonathan Ross and Oti Mabuse.
A previous episode of I Literally Just Told You saw a contestant almost left empty-handed after a mistake.
Sainsbury’s worker Eddy, from Glasgow, lost out on the £18,000 when he could not give pop star Ariana Grande‘s age – although there had been an error.
Comedian Jimmy, 51, ‘owned the mistake’ – as he later forked up the prize money.
After being brought on stage at one of Jimmy’s gigs, Eddy was surprised with a giant cheque.
The 8 Out Of 10 Cats host said: “Now I’ve got something to tell you, I’ve got something to confess.
“You lost the money on a question – it was Ariana Grande’s age.
“We talked about her age but we never gave you the specific age so we messed up.
“And when you mess up in life, you’ve got to own your mistakes. Here’s a cheque for £18,000.”
Countdown hosts over the years
Since launching in 1982, Channel 4 game show Countdown has become a staple of daytime telly. There have been several presenters throughout the show's long history. Let's take a look back at who has hosted the iconic show.
- Richard Whiteley (1982-2005): The original and longest-serving host, Richard helmed the programme for 23 years. As Countdown was the launch programme for Channel 4, the presenter and journalist was the first person to be seen on the channel. He died in 2005 at the age of 61.
- Des Lynam (2005-2006): Originally from County Clare in Ireland, Des took over from Richard Whiteley after his death. He is known for hosting TV coverage of several sporting events including Wimbledon and the Grand National. He left the show after less than 18 months.
- Des O’Connor (2007-2008): Another Des was next up, in the form of comedian and presenter Des O’Connor. The long-time TV chat show host was known for The Des O’Connor Show and Take Your Pick. He left Countdown to focus on entertainment projects. Des O’Connor died in 2020, aged 88.
- Jeff Stelling (2009-2011): Known for his work presenting Gillette Soccer Saturday, Jeff became the fourth host of Countdown. He had reportedly previously been in consideration to replace Richard Whiteley. He left after three years to focus on football coverage.
- Nick Hewer (2012-2021): Former public relations consultant Nick was one of Lord Sugar’s advisors for 10 years on The Apprentice. He became the new host of Countdown in 2012, appearing on both shows for two years. He ultimately left Countdown after nine years.
- Anne Robinson (2021-2022): Best known as the original host of The Weakest Link, in 2021 Anne became the first female Countdown presenter. She left the programme a year later, having recorded 265 episodes.
- Colin Murray (2022-present): Before being named the permanent Countdown host, Colin Murray had been appearing on a guest basis since 2020. He returned to the show following Anne Robinson’s departure.
Previously, it was reported that another of Jimmy’s hit shows will soon be returning to screens.
A spin-off of 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown debuted in 2012, with Jon Richardson and the late Sean Lock serving as a team captains.
This comes after Channel 4 originally put a stop to any new episodes of the show in 2024 due to money woes.
I Literally Just Told You airs on Channel 4