Stars of ITV quiz show quit ahead of new season launch

The show is presented by Stephen Mangan with Alan Carr and Daisy May Cooper as team captains

The ITV quiz show Password has been hit with a major shake-up as two of its stars have quit ahead of the second series.

The game show, which is based on a US version of the same name, involves two teams, each consisting of a celebrity and a civilian, who compete to guess a secret password. The gameplay involves one team member giving one-word clues to their partner, who tries to guess the secret password. A prize of £10,000 is on offered to the winner.

The show is hosted by Green Wing star Stephen Mangan, with Alan Carr and This Country’s Daisy May Cooper serving as the team captains. However, Carr and Cooper will not be returning for the next series, with The Sun reporting that they are both too busy this time around.

A revolving roster of celebrities will reportedly replace the duo going forward.

A source told the tabloid: “Password did brilliantly on its first outing and it’s always a shame to make changes, but Alan and Daisy are both incredibly busy and diaries just wouldn’t align. Something had to give and sadly it was their roles as team captains.

“But there’s an exciting line-up of celebs ready to take part instead and everyone’s confident that the format works without them. If anything, the variety of celebrity players will help keep the show fresh and exciting.”

Daisy May Cooper (Getty Images)

The next series of Password, which is produced by the makers of Britain’s Got Talent, QI and Blankety Blank, is set to begin filming in July and will air later this year.

It comes after Carr revealed that a recent health scare left him worried he’d lose his eyesight for good.

“I’ve got astigmatism,” he told the Life’s a Beach podcast in January, “I kept telling people I had stigmata, like the wounds of Christ. Get over yourself, Alan.”

Alan Carr (ITV)

He continued: “I had a bit of a health scare. I went to Moorfields [Eye Hospital, London]. I’ve got something wrong with my eyes - quite a bit of pressure. I hate the glaucoma thing, when they squirt the air in your eyes. I had something wrong with my eyes in the cornea. I was so worried.”

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Explaining that the medical professional had difficulties continuing the treatment, Carr said: “He had to basically choke me because this air going into my eye was too much. At Moorfields they anaesthetised my eyeball, and then the spike came in on to the lens to see if it worked.”

Carr, known for his distinctive glasses, found it difficult to relax, explaining: “They said: ‘Just relax Alan, and just concentrate on the spike going into your eye.’ I’m like excuse me? What? Oh good, the spike is coming closer. Relax! It was so surreal. Losing my sight is my worst thing, and I can feel it getting worse.”

Although he did not lose his eyesight completely as feared, he added: “My eyeballs need draining - they’ve got too much pressure.”