After 20 games, I make the average ITV1 payout £8,726.005 per show.

I'm assuming this is a bit higher than what they would have liked to have paid out on average, but I doubt they're at all bothered by that after the brilliant viewing figures.

I do wonder sometimes why gameshows are a bit tight with their payouts. Take my episode of Ejector Seat back in 2014.
- Hire of the studio
- Build of the set
- Host fee
- All the production staff
- Return travel for 6 contestants from anywhere in the UK
- Overnight accommodation for 6 contestants
- Petty cash, meals and drinks paid for
- Audience services
(and probably a lot more)

And I won a whooping £500.

DoND is probably more expensive to make than Who Wants To Be A Millionaire minus the payouts, so does it really matter if a non-BBC gameshow pays out a decent wad?

Slightly more than that on average - £8,771.01, with £175,420.11 won across the 20 shows, and £520,871.12 brought to the table. The £75k came to the table 3 times, the £100k 2 times and quite a few other meaty sums contributing to a higher payout than they may have anticipated.

Wonder if we'll see more nuanced strategy from the Banker with an extended run, if only to provide a bit of variety (the early offers particularly being very samey), but a more generous banker in the current climate probably isn't the worst vibe either...