First there were Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and The Weakest Link and now sports presenter and tennis ace John McEnroe is to front the latest high-pressure quiz programme The Chair on UK screens.
An idea originally from New Zealand, The Chair features contestants hooked up to a heart monitor as they’re put to the test with tough questions. If the device shows their hearts exceed a certain range, the wannabe quiz champs lose all their winnings. But that’s not all. Jolting effects, from loud noises to shooting flames next to the hot seat, are used in an attempt to make players lose their cool.
Ten episodes are slated to run on BBC One this autumn, but the network’s bosses say the more extreme devices – perhaps, for example, the dangling baby crocodiles seen in the Stateside version – will not be used.
“Rather than putting them through any rounds that induced physical fear, the stress measured by The Chair will be intellectual and psychological,” says BBC entertainment editor Jonathan Glazier.
Wimbledon commentator John – known for his brutal, in-your-face honesty – hosted the US version of the show earlier this year, but it was cancelled after just two months.
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