ITV to crack ‘Password’ with UK version of gameshow from Talkback

UK broadcaster ITV has ordered a UK adaptation of long-running US gameshow format Password for its ITV1 channel and ITVX streaming service.

Produced by Fremantle label Talkback, Password is a word association game in which regular team captains pair up with contestants and give one-word clues to help their teammate guess a mystery “password”.

The teams must try to get on each other’s wavelengths, as they take it in turns to guess the all-important password across multiple rounds.

Comics Alan Carr and Daisy May Cooper will serve as the team captains in the 7 x 45-minute UK version of the show, with Stephen Mangan serving as host. The show is executive produced for Talkback by Jonno Richards and Laura Gibson with Juliet Morrish as the series producer.

Password was originally created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Productions, and the format is now owned by Fremantle, which holds international production and distribution rights. The series originally launched on CBS in 1961 and ran for more than 1,500 episodes before moving to ABC in 1971. NBC revived the show in 1979 and 1984, and CBS also made a primetime series Million Dollar Password in 2008.

It was then revived again in the US, starring Jimmy Fallon and hosted by Keke Palmer, in 2022 with the refreshed series launching as the most-watched new unscripted series premier of the summer across US broadcast networks. The latest adaptations of the format will be next launching in Spain and Mexico.

Katie Rawcliffe, head of entertainment commissioning at ITV, said: “Password is a brilliantly fun format greatly complemented by a fabulous on-screen trio in Alan, Daisy and Stephen. 2023 has been a great year for game shows on ITV, and there are plenty more to come in 2024.”