The $64,000 Question (British game show)

The $64,000 Question (British game show) was a British television quiz show based on the American game show of the same name. It aired on ITV from 1955 to 1958. The show, hosted by Jerry Wilks, was immensely popular during its run.

The format of the show involved contestants answering increasingly difficult general knowledge questions for progressively larger cash prizes. The final question, worth £64,000, was a significant sum of money at the time, hence the show's title. Successful contestants became overnight celebrities.

The show ceased production amidst allegations of quiz show rigging, mirroring the controversies surrounding its American counterpart. These allegations, while never fully substantiated in the British context to the same degree as in the US, contributed to the decline in popularity of similar quiz formats and ultimately led to its cancellation. The phrase "The $64,000 Question" entered popular culture as a metaphor for a crucial or difficult question.