PASADENA, Calif. -- Regis Philbin admitted yesterday that even he thought Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? needed to pick up the pace.

Thus, when the famous quiz show returns for an 11-episodes-in-15-nights, 10th-anniversary, primetime extravaganza starting Sunday, Aug. 9 on Citytv and ABC, the show will feature a time clock so it doesn't drag on and on and on, like it did in its glory years.

"Frankly, I think if there was anything needed in the show, it was that," said Philbin, the host. "So I'm happy we've done it, and I think we've got it right, too.

"The first five questions are mainly fun and they get 15 seconds to answer those, 30 seconds for the next batch, and then for the really big money it's 45 seconds.

"It just prevents us from going into a lull because the contestant now is working against that clock, and it keeps the tempo at a tremendous level."

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? soared back into mainstream consciousness last year because of the Academy Award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.

"We've also added an expert to the show, a well-known person, probably mostly from the news area," Philbin said. "And we have a celebrity at the end of the show for one question, and a correct answer gets your charity $50,000.

"To tell you the truth, I don't think (the ratings) ever can duplicate what we got the first time (Philbin hosted from 1999-2002). But the 10th anniversary is the right time to bring it back. It's really a celebration and that's how we're handling it."