Les Dennis has blasted the 'Family Fortunes' reboot, claiming it is "too long".
Les Dennis
The 67-year-old comedian - who fronted the popular game show from 1987 until 2002 - has weighed in on its comeback with Gino D'Acampo as host, but he suggested ITV "hasn't served" the chef "well" because of the one-hour run time.
He told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column: "It’s a different show now, it runs an hour, we were only half an hour.
"I think that it’s quite long at an hour. I think to keep on it needs to be tighter. ITV haven’t served Gino well there."
Les also argued that the questions on the reboot are too "similar", and need shaking up to keep things fresh.
Reflecting on his own stint, he added: "We all took it seriously. All of us would go into the office at 10 in the morning and have a question meeting.
"That was so that we didn’t go, ‘Oh that question has a similar answer to that next one and it’s also a similar kind of subject’.
"When it came to rehearsals, by the time it got to the evening to do the two shows, we’d done four shows before, because I used to do the full rehearsal with all the contestants."
However, ITV bosses were delighted with the reception the new episodes received last year, and in December Gino revealed his excitement at news he would be returning for a second stint.
He said: "As soon as we’d finished the last season of 'Family Fortunes', I wanted to get straight back into the studio and film a load more episodes.
"Thankfully, the show went down very well with the viewers and I’m so happy to be back as I had the best time. The contestants really do make the show as brilliant as it is, and I know we’re going to be hearing a lot more weird and wonderful answers to the questions I’ll be asking."
The game show - which is based around the US show 'Family Feud' - originally ran between 1980 and 2002.
Katie Rawcliffe, ITV's head of entertainment commissioning, is now looking forward to another series with Gino at the helm.
She said: "We’re delighted to recommission 'Family Fortunes' after such a popular kick off series with Gino D’Acampo.
"It’s proving to be perfect viewing for families up and down the country and I’ve no doubt that the new series will be just as enjoyable to watch."
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