Odds have been slashed on the TV stars who could replace Jeremy Clarkson in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hot seat once the latest series of the ITV quiz show draws to a close, GB News has learned.
Clarkson returns to the host's chair on Sunday for a set of pre-recorded episodes that were filmed in early 2023.
The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire episodes were pushed back as ITV's coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2023 took priority in the autumn of last year.
However, the episodes haven't been filmed without their controversy as reports emerged in early 2023 that Clarkson had been axed by ITV for the comments he made about Meghan Markle in his now-famous column.
ITV confirmed at the time Clarkson hadn't been sacked but did state the series which had been filmed - and will begin on Sunday - was the last series Clarkson was contractually obliged to front.
An ITV spokesperson said to Sky News back in March 2023: "As we have said for several weeks, ITV is contractually committed to a further series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (which has now been recorded).
Jeremy Clarkson returns to the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hot seat on Sunday
ITV
"There are no further commissioning commitments beyond that currently as is typical with such shows where we make commissioning decisions on a series-by-series basis."
ITV boss Carolyn McCall echoed this when she told Variety in the same month: "We don’t endorse that [Clarkson's column] in any way... There’s no place for that on ITV.
"We’re contracted to this one so we will do that. And then we have no future commitments, and we haven’t made any statements about that," she added.
Neither ITV nor Clarkson have publicly announced if any "further commitments" have been put in place since the statements were made - and now, rumours of who could replace him are rife.
And the TV host who's emerged as most likely to take Clarkson's spot is another former Top Gear presenter - Paddy McGuinness.
Gambling.com betting expert James Leyfield explained all to GB News: "Top Gear host Paddy McGuinness is favourite to follow in Jeremy's career footsteps by landing the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? role, should Jeremy depart.
"ITV favourite Paddy - who hosted dating game show Take Me Out for nine years - is 2/1 on specials betting sites to land the position, but he faces stiff competition from the likes of Bradley Walsh.
"Bradley, who is 3/1, knows a thing or two about hosting ITV quiz shows as he has fronted The Chase since 2009, but it might be a bit of overkill if he was to present a similar programme on the channel."
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It's by no means a two-horse race to replace Clarkson, however, as Leyfield added: "If ITV are looking to take Millionaire in a different direction then Dancing on Ice host Holly Willoughby could get the nod, and her diary should be clearer than it has been in years after she departed This Morning last year.
"Holly is 4/1 to take over hosting duties from Jeremy, while her former This Morning colleagues Josie Gibson (10/1) and Alison Hammond (16/1) could be in the conversation.
"ITV bosses also might consider Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker (7/1) - who has hosted two series of ITV game show Sitting on a Fortune - or Tenable presenter Warwick Davis (12/1).
"But Jeremy's former Top Gear co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond, who are both 33/1, are unlikely to be interested, and it is a massive 50/1 that original Millionaire host Chris Tarrant, who Jeremy took over from, reprises his role in the hotseat."
