Format

Award winning, hit ITV game show The 1% Club, hosted by Bafta nominated Lee Mack and produced by Magnum Media, is set to return for a bumper third series. Series three will see double the number of episodes, going from 8 to 16 and there will be two Christmas specials planned for this year and 2024, ITV have announced.

The Saturday night, prime-time show, currently on air in its second run, recently launched ahead of the average for its schedule slot with 3.7 million viewers and a 31 per cent audience share [consolidating to 4.56m in the first week after its episode one TX on 15 April] growing its audience to hit a 31 per cent share for its second and drew 3.9m viewers [according to overnight data). The introduction of the live play along app has been a huge hit with the audience topping app download charts in the first weeks of the show being on air.

The show’s format sees 100 contestants begin every show - but to make it to the end and win the top prize of up to £100,000, contestants must correctly answer a question only 1% of the country would get right. Contestants of all ages and backgrounds can take part, because, unlike most quizzes, no swotting up on general knowledge is required to do well. Logic and common sense are the key to success.

Lee said: “Once again I am delighted to cause household arguments, as kids mock their parents for being not as bright as them. But us grown-ups can stay out as late as we want, so we get the last laugh”

The series is commissioned for ITV by Satmohan Panesar, Commissioning Editor and Sue Murphy, Head of Factual Entertainment.

Satmohan Panesar said: “Establishing a new game show and finding an audience is no easy task in such a competitive field, but the combination of the 1% Club's unique, inclusive format and our host Lee's brilliantly spontaneous interaction with the studio audience has proved a big hit with viewers. As the current series continues in its successful run, we're excited to be able to announce a third new series as well as two Christmas specials which we're sure will be a massively entertaining addition to festive telly for all the family.”

Dean Nabarro at Magnum Media said: “For all those people who still haven’t managed to get the 1% question right, the great news is there will be another 16 shows to prove you’ve got what it takes to be in The 1% Club.”

The 1% Club sees each contestant start with £1000 but an incorrect answer knocks them out of the game and their grand goes into the Prize Pot. Every episode begins by asking a question that 90% of the country got right (based on a sample of answers given by 1000 people across Britain), proceeding to ask questions that smaller and smaller percentages answered correctly. And each time contestants flunk their answers the prize money swells.

The format has already been licenced in six territories. It has been sold to France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Israel and Australia.

The 1% Club was created by Dean Nabarro and Andy Auerbach and is a Magnum Media production for ITV.