When 70s TV idol Chris Tarrant made his small screen comeback with the launch of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?', times were such that millions tuned in to egg ordinary members of the public on to winning life changing sums of money.

Indeed, when current 'Egghead' Judith Keppel finally hit the seven-figure jackpot, the nation rejoiced, with national newspapers triumphing in the fact that an average middle-aged woman called the producers' bluff and held her nerve to go all the way.

However, over the years, not only has public interest in 'Millionaire' dwindled but, as even the slightest glance at UK TV guides will show, the general tone of programming has shifted markedly, with viewers more interested in seeing their peers make fools of themselves than become big winners.

As such, millions tune in to the early stages of talent shows in the hope of watching a talent-less and deluded wannabe have thier comeuppance in front of nasty and often unnecessarily cruel judges, while shows featuring the overweight or just plain stupid are now major draws.

It is no surprise to learn, therefore, that Tarrant's latest project for ITV is steeped with potential schadenfreude.

In theory, contestants on 'The Colour of Money' can take home "life changing" sums of money as they choose between 20 different coloured cash machines, all pre-programmed to issue a set maximum amount of cash, whether this be £1,000 or £10,000.

While contestants will be able to see their potential winnings rise as the seconds tick by, the big catch is that, should they get too greedy – as surely both producers and viewers will hope – the machine will lock down and they will walk away with nothing, not even their bus fare home.

According to the former Tiswas host, while the format couldn't be simpler, it nevertheless allows the tension to be racked up to the maximum.

"It seems so easy, but our coloured cash machines prove there's not always a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow," the 61-year-old explained.

While many contestants will be disappointed, the new show means that Tarrant's star shows no sign of diminishing, despite all his recent high-profile personal woes.

Love him or loathe him, as the new show's producers are all too aware, he remains the master of tension, capable of spinning a simple 'yes or no' question into five minutes of nerve-wracking television.

Whether 'The Colour of Money' hits the jackpot and captures the public imagination quite the way 'Millionaire' did remains to be seen, but, given his track record and the fact that he has seen pretenders to his Saturday night quiz show crown come and go, the sensible money should be on the show dominating the nation's TV guides for some years yet.