The new show will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie
21:51, 11 May 2026Updated 22:08, 11 May 2026
Wordle is being turned into a gameshow(Image: Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Filming is due to start in Manchester later this year for a TV version of the word game Wordle – but Mancunians won’t be able to enter.
Originally launched in 2021 and acquired by the New York Times in 2022, the web-based puzzle has become a cultural phenomenon, engaging millions of daily players worldwide. US broadcaster NBC said the primetime gameshow hosted by news anchor Savannah Guthrie will challenge players to solve five-letter word puzzles and go head-to-head in the Wordle arena, where they will play for a cash prize.
But UK fans of Wordle of the puzzle won’t be able to compete for the cash prize. Instead competitors from the US will be flown across the Atlantic to take part in two weeks of filming in Manchester this summer.
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Published casting rules for the show reveal strict eligibility criteria, including that would-be contestants should be aged 21 and ‘be a citizen or a lawful permanent residents of the United States with a valid social security or tax identification number’.
It’s a coup for Manchester’s burgeoning TV and film industry but the America first policy which appears to have been adopted by the producers means only people from the US can take part.
The show will be produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio (UTAS), in partnership with US chatshow host Jimmy Fallon’s Electric Hot Dog production company and the New York Times.
Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Fallon, who’s had his own spats with US President Donald Trump, said: “I feel very honoured to be working with Savannah Guthrie on this show.
“Savannah has that rare combination of intelligence, charm and warmth that makes everyone feel instantly welcome. And she obviously knows how to host a show.”
Guthrie has returned to co-hosting the Today show on NBC News after taking two months off when her 84-year-old mother went missing from her home.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, is believed to have been taken against her will after last being seen near her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of January 31. Police have not been able to verify whether two ransom notes sent to US media are real.
Wordle was originally created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle, and was described as “one of the most successful and culturally resonant games of the past decade,” by Sharon Vuong, executive vice president of unscripted programming at NBC.
She added: “This series is a natural extension of NBC’s legacy in the gameshow space, and with the incredible Savannah at the helm and our partners at UTAS, Electric Hot Dog and the New York Times, we’re excited to bring a smart, joyful and distinctly NBC take to this global phenomenon.”
Jimmy Fallon(Image: Getty Images)
Toby Gorman, president of UTAS, said: “We’re eager, happy, giddy – all of those five-letter words and more – to bring Wordle to life for television.
“The New York Times word game has been played billions of times, and our goal is to create an equally addictive show. Savannah brings the perfect blend of warmth and wit to deliver exactly that.”
Production on the show will begin later this year before its launch in 2027.