In For A Penny 2021 is here! On Saturday night, Stephen Mulhern and his gold sparkly jacket will be bringing life to towns and cities across the UK once more with the return of his fun-filled ITV game show.
Once again, the series sees Stephen take to the streets, surprising members of the public to take part in a string of madcap games, culminating in the exciting end game where all players need is a penny for the chance to win a £1,000. Here’s what we know so far…
In For a Penny 2021 release date
In For a Penny 2021 starts on ITV on Saturday April 17 at 7.00pm. This third series was filmed across Britain under strict Covid-safe protocols.
In For a Penny 2021… who’s hosting?
In For a Penny just wouldn’t be the same without its resident host, Stephen Mulhern, who’s back with his gold sparkly jacket for more fun and frolics. However, there was a time he feared this series might not happen…
“I’m even more excited than normal to be hosting this series because, this year, we thought we wouldn’t be able to do it,” says Stephen. “Because of Covid, everything is about being non-contact and social-distancing — but this show is the opposite! It’s always been about me really interacting with the players and being able to celebrate the moment someone wins a grand. So it meant we had to work on new, socially-distanced games — for us, it was safety first and fun a VERY close second.”
In For a Penny… what changes have been made to ensure the show is Covid safe?
With safety and entertainment both paramount, it was important any changes to the show embraced the fun factor.
“I now have a pair of gold sparkly gloves for the game Weigh to Go,” enthuses Stephen. “Whatever changes we made had to fit in with the celebratory idea of the show — and blue latex gloves don’t exactly scream entertainment!
"So, this series, along with my gold sparkly jacket, I now have gold sparkly gloves, which I use in the game Weigh to Go, where players have to guess the weight of their luggage at an airport. One guy’s suitcase contained cheddar cheese, tubs of ham and a stained tea towel. Let’s just say, I was grateful for my gold gloves!”
In For a Penny… what new games are there this series?
Alongside familiar favourites such as Pump It Up and Weigh to Go, new games for this series include Pound Pong, Sausage Roll and Pet Bet, where owners play with their dogs to win money.
In terms of how the game works, Stephen explains: “There are five massive In For a Penny coins spread out evenly on the ground, the fifth, at the end, being a ‘stop’ coin,” he says. "The dog has to ‘stay’ on the stop coin as their owner moves along the four coins towards their pet. If the dog moves off the stop coin, they lose. But if the owner gets to the stop coin and the dog has stayed put, they win £100. We had an elderly lady Rose play with her dog Oscar, who would NOT stay on the stop coin. Does she win? You’ll have to wait and see…"
In For a Penny… how do players win £1,000 on this show?
As always, each show culminates in the epic end game where all players need is a penny to win £1,000. And Stephen admits that, following the financial hardship many have suffered this year, filming often got very emotional...
"There’s one lady who springs to mind straight away,” says Stephen. “It just seemed to hit her and she really burst into tears when she won. It always gets to me because, although I love a good laugh, these emotional moments do happen.”
In For a Penny… what else do we know?
The series kicks off this week in Sheffield and, later this series, Stephen visits Torquay, Cambridge, Chester, Barry Island, Blackpool and Southampton.
In For a Penny 2021 starts on Saturday April 17 at 7pm on ITV.
