Is a game show about letters and vaguely defined puzzles really appointment television in 2025? ITV1 seems to think so, dusting off the venerable “Wheel of Fortune” for a second season spin. Host Graham Norton returns to preside over the proceedings. This Saturday, January 4th at 6:00 PM, accountant John, primary school teacher Jess, and care home assistant Paris will test their puzzle-solving skills and, perhaps more importantly, their tolerance for forced merriment.
The grand prize? A cool £50,000. But as anyone familiar with the format knows, that enticing sum feels perpetually out of reach thanks to the ever-present “bankrupt” and “lose a turn” wedges. The tension is manufactured, the puzzles often baffling, and the potential for contestants to completely unravel under the studio lights is considerable. It’s a formula that has worked for decades, preying on our primal desire for easy money and schadenfreude in equal measure. Will this season offer anything new? Probably not. Will it still be strangely compelling? Almost certainly.
So, if you’re looking for a low-stakes way to spend a Saturday evening, watching ordinary people wrestle with the vagaries of the English language and the cruelty of fate, tune in. Just try not to shout the answers at the television too loudly. It’s not as easy as it looks, and besides, Norton’s sardonic asides are half the fun.
“Wheel of Fortune” airs Saturday, January 4th at 6:00 PM on ITV1.
