Danny Dyer to front new BBC Saturday night gameshow The Wall

Danny Dyer is to front a new Saturday night game show, the BBC has announced.

The EastEnders star will host BBC One’s The Wall, described as the “ultimate combination of strategy, knowledge and luck”.

Dyer said: “I’d never had a desire to host a game show before I saw this game. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to help win the public some serious life-changing readies. I love it.”

With questions for contestants voiced by Rip Off Britain’s Angela Rippon, the show will see team-mates working together in an attempt to win a cash prize.

It features a wall with slots that are either filled by a green ball, if a contestant answers correctly, or a red ball, if they do not. The green ball means they get money added, while red means they get money subtracted from whatever total they have.

The format aired in 2016 on American’s NBC television network and had among its executive producers basketball star LeBron James.

Kate Phillips, Controller of Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC, said: “The Wall is an exciting, challenging and tense quiz where destinies dramatically change with the drop of a single ball. Danny is an unforgettable and very unique host as he commands The Wall, roots for the contestants and hits our hearts and our funny bones.”

Richard Hague, creative director at Remarkable Television, said: “This show is epic, not just in scale, but in the drama that unfolds throughout the game. Having Danny at the helm means we’re in for a memorable, compelling and entertaining watch.”

Prize totals for the American show were listed on the official website as ranging from “more than 12 million dollars on the line every night – and up to 3 million dollars on a single heart-stopping drop”, but it is not yet known what the prize money for the UK version will be.

The Wall launches on BBC One later in the year and people can apply to take part at www.bbc.co.uk/thewall