19 January 2023 , 20:01
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ITV is banking on Stephen Mulhern to relaunch an iconic TV show.
In fact, bosses were so thrilled with his two pilots for a Deal Or No Deal reboot they ordered 20 shows.
Made famous on Channel 4 with Noel Edmonds as host between 2005 and 2016, it will run across a month in daytime later this year.
Stephen, 45, is a presenter on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, the spin-off game show In For a Penny, plus Catchphrase, which he has hosted for a decade.
Last month, after rumours emerged that Deal Or No Deal might be brought back to TV, Stephen admitted he would love the job.
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ITV is banking on Stephen Mulhern to relaunch an iconic quiz (ITV)He said: “Are they talking about it? The answer is yes.
“Would I love to host it? Yes, without fail. It’s one of the best game shows ever created.”
Insiders said the pilots went down a treat. They also added that a suggestion the series had been altered in a bid to update it is wide of the mark.
“Deal or No Deal is such a strong format you don’t want to go fiddling with it,” one source said. “It’s pretty much the same. The boxes are back, the banker is back and the 22 players.
Noel Edmonds previously presented Deal or No Deal on Channel 4"The only difference is Stephen, which gives it a fresh feel.”
In the game, 22 people start with a box worth from 1p up to £250,000.
One person plays and eliminates the boxes. They have to outwit an anonymous banker trying to buy their box.
A revamped Big Brother is also returning to ITV, while the BBC is rebooting Gladiators and Survivor.