Who still wants to be a millionaire? Everyone, we’re guessing. Well good news because Chris Tarrant is back with a brand new project set to launch in September.
MM were fortunate enough to catch up with the broadcasting legend while he was busy filming a new TV spot right here in Manchester.
Fans of Tarrant will no doubt be aware that he suffered a serious setback last year, almost dying of a stroke while flying back to the UK from Bangkok.
The ever irrepressible and tenacious Tarrant soon bounced back, though, and it wasn’t long before he was making public appearances once more.
Less publicised, however, was Tarrant’s deal with online lottery start-up Lottoland a deal made mere months after the former Tiswas host had completed an intensive course of physical and speech therapy.
Tarrant’s tenure as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire made him the perfect choice of brand ambassador with Lottoland CEO Nigel Birrell describing Chris Tarrant as the “perfect fit for the company.”
It’s now a year since Tarrant signed up to be Lottoland’s brand ambassador.
Since that time the company has more than doubled its staff while continuing to make inroads in the UK market and elsewhere.
Tarrant came to Manchester on a mission, bound and determined to make Lottoland a household name.
Straight off the set of the ad shoot, still dressed in a smart black suit and striking lime-green shirt and tie combo, he took the time to speak to MM about why he decided to make the jump from quiz shows to lotteries.
He described his time working on Millionaire as one of the high points of his career and admitted that the excitement of a win was infectious.
During his 15 years on the show Tarrant cultivated a distinct persona – “I had to remain very cool, very calm – aloof” – but confessed that maintaining that persona was sometimes very difficult.
He said: “Once they saw me smiling that was it. You could see it in their eyes, you could feel it, the ecstatic sense of relief.
“It only lasted a nanosecond but it was so intense. I miss that feeling most of all, and it’s one of the reasons, from a personal standpoint, why I’m so excited to now be working hand in hand with Lottoland.”
Lotteries are nothing new, of course, and indeed many gaming companies already offer lottery games for punters to bet on. Where Lottoland differs is in the size and scale of lottery offerings – something Tarrant hammered home in the rough cut of the ad we saw.
Alongside perennial favourites like EuroMillions, the Irish Lotto and Spain’s infamous El Gordo, are lotteries likely to be less familiar to UK players. These include Australia’s Oz Lotto plus record-breaking American lotteries MegaMillions and PowerBall, where jackpots can exceed half a billion USD.
With all the different lotteries assembled Chris stands before a jubilant crowd proclaiming, “Let the big games begin!”
It’s a somewhat simplistic call to action for players, but for Chris Tarrant it’s also a call to arms.
“You could say we’re dropping the gauntlet with this because we haven’t seen large wins like this before,” he said. “It’s going to be a real game-changer.”
Indeed on the continent the game is already changing. As MM went to press news emerged of one lucky Lottoland winner, a 66-year old-truck driver from Katowice in Poland, who won 12 million PLN, or approximately £2.04 million.
The prize represents the biggest online prize ever won in the country and has further emboldened Lottoland, who are now more determined than ever to replicate the same success in the UK.
Tarrant’s ad is due to appear next month, as part of the big Lottoland UK launch.
In the meantime the company’s website, Lottoland.co.uk, is offering free play bonuses to new players, essentially giving players the chance to win hundreds of millions of pounds for free.
It’s unlikely the offer will last for long though; once the ad goes live and the floodgates open they’re likely to change tack.
“There’s a lot of people very excited about the launch, myself included”, Tarrant told MM.
“Unfortunately due to contractual obligations I can’t go into too many details just yet, all I can say is we’ve got lots of surprises in store, so it’s something to look forward to at the end of the summer.”
Image courtesy of ITV via YouTube, with thanks.
