Millionaire Hot Seat: Rumours swirl on long-running game show’s TV future

Is the longest-running game show on Aussie telly getting the axe? Casting for a popular UK game show, airing on the same network, has the rumourmill in overdrive.

Rumours are swirling around the future of Australia’s longest-running game show, hosted by Eddie McGuire.

The last time headlines screeched about a Hot Seat shuffle, it had rival game show host Andrew O’Keefe replacing Eddie McGuire.

Well we all know how that transpired, with Eddie still in the hot seat and O’Keefe now in an out of court, rehab or jail on meth or assault charges.

So when reports started swirling on Friday from TV Blackbox that the longest-running game show on Australian TV, which celebrated its 2500th episode this month, was facing the axe, questions had to be asked.

Because Melbourne certainly doesn’t want to lose another locally made show to the Harbour City, especially one which gives a much needed lifeline to our young and emerging talent and crew behind the cameras.

McGuire said the rumours were a “surprise”.

Turns out a recent casting call for a local version of popular UK game show Tipping Point, which airs on Nine in the 3pm timeslot helped fuel the rumours.

The game show timeslot is more important than many think, with good ratings providing the much needed lead-in for the network’s news bulletins.

It was certainly a surprise to McGuire given he and the Nine Network had in the last 24 hours signed a deal to add some new elements to Hot Seat to air in the later part of the year.

He said his May schedule was choc-a-bloc with back to back filming for the game show which has given over “$90 million away” since airing.

The iconic series hosted by McGuire began airing in 2009 as a spin-off to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? which was also hosted by McGuire from 1999 until 2006.