SAS: Who Dares Wins set for huge change for next year’s series
BRAVE recruits on next year’s SAS: Who Dares Wins are to face an extremely cold, hard reality.
After a run of series in warmer climes, I can reveal the producers behind Channel 4’s hit challenge show plan to film in a sub-zero location.
Where that will be is yet to be agreed but a number of countries are being considered.
The contestants will be plunged into freezing temperatures and pushed closer to breaking point than ever before.
The Scottish Hebrides is the farthest north the series has ventured so far, before it then headed for the unforgiving terrain of Chile’s Andes mountains.
This year’s series swept the challengers to the Jordanian desert, while the new edition set to air on Channel 4 this month, will take place in the Vietnamese jungle.
READ MORE SAS: WHO DARES WINS
A celebrity version featuring Matt Hancock and James Argent will follow — before the team heads out to film in the yet-to-be-agreed icy new location.
A TV insider said: “The team wants to switch it up by taking recruits to a country which is very, very cold.
“Just being able to exist in the sub-zero temperatures will be hard enough — never mind taking on the brutal tasks like ice-water plunges, snow treks and endurance challenges.
They intend it to be the most hostile and unforgiving warfare environment yet.
Most read in News TV
“There are a number of locations on the table and nothing is yet set in stone.”
Instructors Mark “Billy” Billingham, Rudy Reyes and Jason “Foxy” Fox all remain in place for the new series, joined by new recruit Chris Oliver — but Billy is promoted over Rudy as head of the hardman team.
Billy said: “There is nobody better placed than myself to lead the recruits through this treacherous environment.”
Meanwhile American Rudy’s US Marine dad did tours of duty in Vietnam, so for Rudy it as poignant filming the upcoming Vietnam challenge for SAS: Who Dares Win.
He said: “It was an honour to tread the harsh but beautiful jungles my father did.”
LIV ASKS TO KEEP IT TO MUM
GRAHAM NORTON still manages to make his celebrity guests squirm and his New Year’s Eve special sounds like it’s another masterclass.
He quizzes Olivia Colman on the age difference between her and new leading man Michael Ward in upcoming drama Empire Of Light.
She replies: “There was one particular moment when I was astride Michael in a compromising and slightly embarrassing situation and he said, ‘It’s my mum’s birthday today.’
“When he said she was 43, I was like, ‘Okay, stop talking!’”
Tune in for all the fun on The Graham Norton Show this Saturday at 10.25pm on BBC One.
HEY, BIG SPENDERS
ITV is injecting some summer fun into our gloomy winter with a sun-drenched new game show.
Loaded In Paradise will see five pairs of contestants hop between Greek islands in a race to take control of, and spend, 50,000 euros.
There is a Gold Card loaded with cash, to blow on wild holiday fun.
But only one lucky pair can be in control of it at any time – while everyone else, on a shoestring budget, tries to hunt them down and wrest it from them.
Glamorous contestants Millie Thompson and Amelia Bell, who are best pals, reckon they are already expert spenders with a taste of the high life.
Millie said: “We are both influencers and I’ve done lots of shoots with celebs. We’ve hung out with footballers, too.
“And when I was four I lived next door to Harry Styles and we used to play mums and dads in his garden shed.
“He had an amazing playhouse and I’d bring my doll over.”
Amelia added: “We are both blonde, but not stupid, so can use that to our advantage, playing on the dumb blonde stereo-type to fool people.”
The entire run of Loaded In Paradise is available to stream for free from tomorrow on ITVX.
WITCHER ONE TO WATCHER
SPARE a thought for Henry Cavill, who quit his role in Netflix smash The Witcher to return to the Superman film franchise – all before a change of boss at DC Studios left him without either job.
But The Witcher’s showrunner has promised fans won’t be disappointed by Henry’s exit at the end of series three, when he hands over the role of Geralt to Liam Hemsworth.
Teasing the season four plot, Lauren Hissrich said: “Geralt’s big turn is about giving up neutrality and doing anything that he has to do to get to Ciri.
“And to me, it’s the most heroic send-off that we could have.
“Geralt has a new mission in mind when we come back to him in season four.
“He’s a slightly different Geralt than we expected. Now, by the way, that’s an understatement.”
Season two of the fantasy epic, racked up 462.5million hours viewed in its first week.
Season three will be released in summer 2023.
BIG DOSH FOR ANNE MORE-EE
THE VOICE coach Anne-Marie has set up a company, Therapy Productions Ltd, to carry out “television programme production activities”, according to its official description.
And if it proves as lucrative as her business efforts in 2022, the singer will be laughing.
Her main firm, AM Biznus, saw a rise in assets and cash to £4million for the year to the end of March 2022 – up from £3.2million in the previous 12 months.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Accounts show she paid tax of £270,000, indicating earnings of around £1.5million.
Anne-Marie – who has had four Top Ten hits and a big-selling album, Therapy, that reached No2 last year – also owns an estate agency, Miss AM Properties, with assets of more than £600,000.