Gay set to be a big winner on quiz show

It wouldn't buy you a round of golf with Tiger Woods. But even so, the allure of £1,000,000 is likely to put Gay Byrne back on top of the TAM ratings in the autumn when he fronts the Irish version of the show which has rewritten television history.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire? will begin a 13-week run on RTE in October, at which point - if British and US precedents are followed - the Late Late legend will again find himself occupying the hottest seat in Irish broadcasting.

The marriage made in television heaven comes courtesy of "the biggest sponsorship contract in Irish broadcasting history", according to Eircell which, among other things, will pay the prize-money. The company says its investment is costing more than £5 million. And although no contestant has yet won the maximum amount in Britain, Eircell is ready to cough up if it happens here.

Speculation that Gaybo himself would be first millionaire to emerge from the exercise were politely quashed. "Not as much as the contestants," he said when asked what he would earn from the show, which he described as "part of his continuing commitment" to RTE.

For those unfamiliar with the format, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? pits a single contestant against a maximum of 15 multiple-choice questions. Answer all 15 correctly, as no one this side of the Atlantic has, and you become a millionaire. Four possible answers are given each time and, after a very easy start for £100, the difficulty rises as sharply as the prize-money. As the pressure grows, the contestant can avail of three lifelines: ask the audience, phone a nominated friend or opt for "50-50," in which two of the incorrect answers are removed.

The selection procedure here for the show will be the same as on the ITV show. A phone number will be advertised (from September onwards) and callers asked a question. Those who answer correctly have their names entered on computer, with 100 chosen at random to face a second question designed to reduce the total to 10.

These will appear on the show and will be treated "like VIPs", according to the producers, Tyrone Productions. After yet another question, the person fastest on the buzzer will be the one to have a shot at the magic figure.