Jason Manford to host new BBC gameshow First & Last

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The show has been in development since April of last year…

The Beeb’s new “Crystal Maze-meets-Ninja Warrior” gameshow, First and Last, officially has a host in Jason Manford. The series format has been in development with Endemol Shine’s Zeppotron for well over a year. Maybe they should have considered something like goldenslot too.

Six episodes are heading to BBC One in 2020. Per Deadline:

“The show puts contestants through a succession of ingenious rounds, all of which have one golden rule – players mustn’t come first or last in any game. If they do, they will be eliminated. Eleven players start each show and compete across a range of downright daft, stupidly funny, play-along-at-home games that will see one of them leave with a cash prize of up to £10,000. To win, they’ll need to judge every round to perfection and hold their nerve in the nail-biting endgame.”

“I’m so excited to be presenting this brand new show, First and Last, for BBC One,” said Manford in a statement. “As I get older I try not to be involved in any show that I 100% wouldn’t watch myself, and this to me is classic early Saturday evening telly. It’s fun and light-hearted with great characters and silly games. I always think when the world feels a bit hard and tough, you want to be able to flick the telly on and block all of that stuff out by having a good laugh.”

Zeppotron’s executive producer Peter Holmes added, “First and Last is a beautifully simple premise around which to build all sorts of studio silliness and gameshow tension, and we’re delighted to have Jason at the heart of the show.”