Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? fans are set to wince at the most costly final answer in the show’s history as a contestant loses £124,000.
Host Jeremy Clarkson said of the new series: "I think we've had our biggest ever drop. Somebody went to £125,000 without a safety net and – can I say this? – they f***ed it up.
"That really was an extremely alarming moment. Horrific. Can you imagine going home after you’ve lost £124,000?"
And in another shock, the Ask the Audience lifeline backfires when the crowd fluffs the opening question. Clarkson, 62, said: "I think it's the first time that they got the simple £1,000 question wrong."
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The presenter admitted while he enjoys the contestants who do well, he also finds those who flop horribly entertaining.
"It's lovely to see people win and just as lovely to see people when they don’t," he said.
The ITV series, which returns on Saturday at 9.30pm, started in 1998 and only six people have won the £1 million jackpot.
Clarkson, who replaced original host Chris Tarrant in 2018, said he prefers doing the regular version to the celebrity specials.
"With the celeb one I haven't got a f***ing clue who half the people are," he said.
The former Top Gear host also confessed that he found the Ask the Host lifeline terrifying.
"You know at some point they are going to ask me – and that really is unnerving.
"You can be 99% sure you know the answer – but the doubt in my head takes 10 years off my life every time."
Clarkson said he took the role for one reason – "money". And he revealed being a game show host is not that hard.
"It's not like clearing fatbergs out of sewers. This is a lovely job. I genuinely enjoy it," he said.
"There are some shows on TV that are institutions and that is one of them. I’m so proud to be hosting it. You’re a custodian of something amazing."
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