[Humphrey Hacker]

Fry did let a contestant off very early on for not responding first with "what is..." (she quickly corrected herself) and said he would get strict, so if this had happened later in the show she probably wouldn't have been correct.

Jeopardy will be confusing and annoying for viewers used to the typical UK quiz show not just because of the format but because it's usually clear what the prize is and they get to hear what people would spend their winnings on (the first episode told us none of this), not to mention it will be too difficult for those who need multiple choice answers on the screen to help them play the game.

Nothing wrong with a hard quiz but its perceived highbrow status is severely let down by its presentation (Des Clarke of all people announcing, dear oh dear...) and the Barneyesque theme tune is particularly laugh out loud when it plays in the background as the contestants write down their bids in Final Jeopardy. Viewers must think "WTF?!". The titles... is it a quiz or a science/tech magazine show with Stephen Fry? Also, not too sure about the contestants having their surnames revealed. This is possibly the worst aspect of keeping with the format.

Along with other US acquisitions ITV have recently made, I feel that licensing requirements will be responsible for shows failing moreso than them being expanded to an hour because presentation is key to setting a mood and attempts which make people laugh at shows instead of getting them buoyed up for is a bad approach. Maybe ITV's thinking is that brands will bring in the viewers whereas original formats and presentation require more money and effort to work, but people don't care about that though when watching TV and rightly so.

For all its faults, Jeopardy at least gets on with the game. I'd sooner watch it over Tipping Point or Deal or No Deal which are padded out.

The combination of up tempo theme and pedestrian pace of the show is jarring (reminds me of All Clued Up in that respect) but once the concept is absorbed its a good show to follow and Fry in his benevolent headmaster guise is the right host.