Ben Shepherd, seen here getting into shape before taking on the assault course sparring with Lemar in aid of Sport Relief, has been chosen to front the new, sparkly, 21st-century version of The Krypton Factor. Is he up to the task of stepping into the shoes of the incomparable Gordon Burns?

Related: Krypton Factor set for possible return to ITV | Krypton Factor review (on FTN)

Apart from the usual sleb and reality shows, we don’t tend to cover game shows much on here. Is that because they’re a tired, worn-out format suitable only for afternoon TV and pablum for the masses? Maybe, but The Krypton Factor was always a cut above.

It helped that it was fronted by Gordon of course. He of the wry smile and the measured tones, who could always be counted on to be ready with a witty one-liner when the tension was at its highest. And tension there was, as the contestants struggled to complete some of the most mind-boggling three-dimensional puzzles ever devised in the logic round, wracked their brains to remember the minutiae of a short video clip in the memory round, battled it out through the general knowledge section and then took to the mud for the real contest: that gruelling army assault course.

Well you’ll be glad to hear the assault course is back, along with all the other regular format goodies, only this time it’s been made even more gruelling (and even more muddy, probably).

To my mind, Ben will make the perfect host for a show like this. He too has that trademark quick wit, boundless enthusiasm, he’s always well researched and he also has that cheeky chappie sparkle that will really bring the show alive. For the first time in many years, I’m actually quite excited about a new gameshow. How sad is that?

The Krypton Factor returns to prime time ITV1 in January. [via MG]