Why every Millionaire host worldwide once had to wear an Armani suit
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? began on ITV in September 1998 and went on to air in around 100 countries, making it the best-selling television format in history. Its franchisers were so strict that overseas versions had to copy the British lighting, set, music and even the host's tailoring.
The game grew out of radio. David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight had devised promotional games such as the bong game for Chris Tarrant's breakfast programme on Capital FM. Their new quiz was provisionally called Cash Mountain before borrowing its final title from a Cole Porter song written for the 1956 film High Society. Several people later claimed the idea was theirs and sued producer Celador; none won, and every case ended in an out-of-court settlement.
What made it unusual was pace and tension. Only one player competes at a time, sees each question before choosing whether to answer, and faces no clock. Questions carry four options and grow harder as the prize climbs, with one-use lifelines and two safety nets that lock in a minimum payout. A hopeful must first win Fastest Finger First, putting four answers in the right order quicker than rivals. Late in the game the host famously checks whether an answer is final, after which it cannot change, and anyone unsure may leave with the money banked.
Television producer Paul Smith conceived the plan to sell the show abroad, and he enforced rules to keep each version faithful: Armani suits for every presenter, the British music cues instead of local compositions, and matching lights and sets. Celador put its library up for sale in March 2006; 2waytraffic bought it, and two years later Sony Pictures Entertainment paid £137.5 million for 2waytraffic.
Tarrant presented the British original until February 2014. Between 2007 and then, the ladder shrank from fifteen questions to twelve, a change copied in markets including France and Turkey. Jeremy Clarkson fronted a seven-episode revival in May 2018 marking the twentieth anniversary; it restored fifteen questions and let contestants pick their own second safety net, as high as £500,000.
Source: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
