Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win: Return of ITV show ‘ground-breaking in more ways than one’ says host

Now in its third series, this high-stakes quiz show has proved immensely popular among ITV viewers thanks to its hosts’ inimitable charm and the massive opportunity the game brings.

When Limitless Win returns this time around, however, it’s set to be bigger than ever: “More drama, more tension, more fun, and more wins than ever before,” says host Ant McPartlin.

“More contestants climb over a million pounds on our ladder than we’ve ever had before,” adds the 48-year-old.

“And big wins. What can I say about the big wins, Dec?”

“Not too much!” says his co-host Declan Donnelly, 48.

“Although, safe to say, it’s a ground-breaking series in more ways than one.”

For the uninitiated, Limitless Win sees two contestants work together to answer questions, with correct answers allowing them to climb the endless money ladder for a chance to win big. All of the answers are whole numbers, and the players must try to get as close to the correct answer as possible without going over.

“It’s so play-along,” says Donnelly of the game.

“The whole family can sit round and have a go at every question.”

It’s these “shout at the telly” style questions that make Limitless Win such a spectacle of family fun, and the programme’s third series brings more memorable favourites.

“Our favourite questions are things like: ‘How many segments in a Toblerone?’ Or: ‘How many holes in a potato waffle?’ Those kind of questions really tickle our fancy,” says Donnelly.

“And the good thing is, in this series we’ve got more questions like that,” McPartlin hints.

“So if I was you, to be prepared, if you want to play along, just get a tape measure and measure things around your house.”

“Really pay attention to all the chocolates and sweets and things you’ve been eating over Christmas, cause you never know, you might need to say how many Matchmakers are in a box…” adds Donnelly.

While fans at home are getting prepared with their numerical trivia for this third series, the hosts say this batch of contestants have also been doing their research.

“They all know the show, they all know how to play the game,” says McPartlin.

“Contestants are coming (to) this series with proper research, spreadsheets, things written down on bits of paper,” he adds.

“We have to check their arms before we go into the studio in case they wrote the answers down, like kids doing exams!”

“Going into series three, people have been doing loads of research and come really prepared,” Donnelly agrees.

“No wonder we’ve had more people going further up the ladder than ever before.”

“We’ve had a really nice mix as well,” adds Donnelly.

“We’ve had friends, siblings, parent and child, married couples – it’s been a really nice mix of contestants.”

Landing those big wins is not, thankfully, always totally down to the contestants. The players can cash in on four lifelines – More Than, Range, Odd or Even, and Take Two – with the last on the list allowing them to enlist help from the hosts.

When using Take Two, two guesses are allowed, one each by the team and hosts, and only the guess closer to the correct answer is counted.

The hosts’ involvement was introduced for series two, and while this lifeline takes the pressure off the couples somewhat, it certainly stresses out Ant and Dec.

“We are better (this series),” says McPartlin.

“We’re more prepared. Season 2 was a bit of a shock, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, my heart still does sink every time the Take Two lifeline comes up!” adds Donnelly.

“We’ve only got 30 seconds, and it takes us 20 seconds to get round the desk as we’ve only got little legs!” McPartlin laughs.

“The pressure is huge when you’re playing for these contestants to get them further up the ladder and possibly win serious amounts of cash,” continues Donnelly.

“But I’m proud to say we did, without giving too much away,” says McPartlin.

“We did get some spot on and help some contestants win a considerable amount of money.”

“Thankfully, we’ve got some really random knowledge up our sleeves!” says Donnelly.

With a fourth series of Limitless Win already announced, it’s clear to see that Ant and Dec’s gameshow expertise and hosting prowess has made the format beloved by families up and down the country.

However, as the hosting duo say, the show’s enduring popularity means contestants are coming better prepared than ever – and that means we have bigger, more exciting wins to look forward to in series three.

“We’ve had more people climb up the ladder than ever before, and this series sees the biggest win in the show’s history. Can I say that?” says McPartlin.

“I think you just did!” laughs Donnelly.

“There were a lot of accountants around the studio looking even greyer than normal!”

These big wins also mean that there big emotional pay-offs – for the contestants, for viewers watching at home, and for the hosts who are really rooting for every player’s success.

“We’re just so invested in every couple that plays the game,” says Donnelly.

“You can’t help but become emotional for them during each game.”

Series three of Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win starts tomorrow at 8.30pm on ITV1 and on ITVX.