The multi-award-winning presenter, broadcaster, author and comedian Graham Norton features on Network 10 in another series starting this month – Wheel Of Fortune Australia down under.
The series was announced 12 months ago, and makes it onto the 10 schedule during the last week of the official ratings survey.
In each episode, three players will attempt to solve puzzles and win big. Would you like to buy a vowel?
With a mixture of speed puzzles where the fastest and sharpest can earn cash, and the main puzzles viewers know so well, the player who has the most winnings will meet Graham at the Mini-Wheel for the chance to solve one final puzzle and be in with the chance of winning $50,000!
Seven, Nine, and now 10
The format has been very familiar to Australian audiences. It first screened on Seven back in 1981. It had a home on the Seven Network until 2006. The format appeared briefly on Nine in a revamped format in 2008, but was quickly cancelled due to low ratings.
The hosts over the years on Australian TV have been Ernie Sigley, John Burgess, Tony Barber, Rob Elliott, Steve Oemcke, Larry Emdur, Tim Campbell, and now, Graham Norton.
Paramount ANZ revealed 12 months ago at its 2024 Upfront that the show would be returning:
Wheel of Fortune Australia, hosted by Graham Norton and produced by Whisper North, part of the Sony Pictures Television-backed Whisper Group, will bring the game show back to primetime.
The epic game show will once again be centred around a giant carnival wheel as contestants spin to win for a life changing cash prize.
Graham said: “I’m beyond excited to be bringing such an iconic American show to Australia with Network 10. Hosting game shows is brilliant fun and even more so when you have a giant wheel to spin!
“This show has it all, mixing skill, luck and lots of surprises and I hope the Australian audience loves it.”
The original U.S. show is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution along with the format rights.
The granddaddy of game shows
Graham Norton spoke to news.com.au recently about his forthcoming Australian tour. Nick Bond also asked him about hosting Wheel of Fortune:
You are going to be the host of Australian Wheel of Fortune, airing on 10. You’ve also been hosting the UK version – are there differences between the Aussie and the British contestants?
The Aussie contestants, I would say, flew by the seat of their pants more.
With some of the British ones, I think there’s some Wheel of Fortune app you can download to play it at home and get really, really good at the puzzles. So some of the British people were taking it super seriously. The Australians were like, ‘Let’s spin the wheel, see what happens’. So the atmosphere was quite different. You know, the Australians were still winning big amounts of money, but they seemed … less bothered about it.
Have you been a game show host before in your career?
Let’s just say no. It’s more straightforward to say no. I mean, I have done pilots of game shows before. And doing a new format is hellish because there’s always a moment in the pilot episode where you’re playing the game … You’ve rehearsed it so many times, you’ve done it in the office so many times, but there’s always one moment when you’re in the studio with the audience and the real-life contestants when everyone suddenly realises: ‘Oh, that’s why this game won’t work. There’s a fatal flaw in it.’
And so when they offered me Wheel of Fortune, I thought, well, there’s no fatal flaw. This is the granddaddy of game shows.
When to watch
Wheel Of Fortune Australia.
Starts Monday, 25 November At 7:30pm On 10 And 10 Play.
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