Fewer - and harder - questions on 'Who wants to be a millionaire?'

The first few questions on TV quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? were so easy they made you laugh.

But laugh no more. TV bosses are beefing up the quiz show in a bid to make it more interesting and tough from the outset.

And that could mean a few humiliating early exits for participants and even the unlucky celebrity.

The new format will work by having the prize money start at £500 rather than £100 and there will be only 12 questions to replace the former 15.

After reaching £1,000, five questions will take a contestant up to a £50,000 'safe haven', previously £32,000.

Host Chris Tarrant said: "Sitting in that hotseat has always been a daunting prospect, but now the contestants are thrown in at the deep end almost as soon as they've sat down, facing questions worth literally thousands."

The format will be unveiled in the first of seven celebrity charity specials beginning on August 18 on ITV1, and will continue throughout the new series.

Celebrity pairings taking part in the coming weeks include GMTV's Kate Garraway and husband Derek Draper, Sky News presenters Eamonn Holmes and Kay Burley, Emmerdale stars Adele Silva and Nick Miles, and impressionist Jon Culshaw with actor John Thompson.

New Money Tree • £500 • £1,000 SAFE HAVEN • £2,000 • £5,000 •£10,000 •£20,000 •£50,000 SAFE HAVEN •£75,000 •£150,000 •£250,000 •£500,000 •£1,000,000

Old Money Tree •£100 •£200 •£300 •£500 •£1,000 SAFE HAVEN •£2,000 •£4,000 •£8,000 •£16,000 •£32,000 SAFE HAVEN •£64,000 •£125,000 •£250,000 •£500,000 •£1,000,000

OLD FIRST QUESTION COMPARED TO NEW FIRST QUESTION

OLD For £100,complete the following phrase. As sick as a A) Parrot B) Penguin C) Puffin D) Patridge

ANSWER: Parrot

NEW For £500,which of these fruits shares its names with something superior or desirable? A) Grapefruit B) Apricot C) Mango D) Plum

ANSWER: Plum

OLD SIXTH QUESTION COMPARED TO NEW SIXTH QUESTION

OLD - For £4,000, which of this is a game played by Harry Potter and his friends? A)Quibble B)Quantum C) Qwerty D)Quidditch

ANSWER: Quidditch

NEW - For £50,000, according to the legend Salieri, the composer poisoned which rival? A) Mozart B) Haydn C) Liszt D) Brahms

ANSWER: Mozart