Channel 4 to launch reality survival show Escape where teams have to flee a staged plane crash and complete challenges
CHANNEL 4 loves a reality survival show – from BEAR GRYLL’s The Island to Scottish telly experiment Eden.
Now they are about to launch their craziest yet with teams having to use their skills to flee a staged PLANE CRASH.
Called Escape, the show will be hosted by ex-Special forces and SAS: Who Dares Wins star ANT MIDDLETON.
Using the surrounding wreckage, contestants will have to build a vehicle such as an air-board, hovercraft or car, to escape to civilisation.
The five one-hour episodes will put the team of four in a different terrain — desert, snow, jungle or on water.
They must generate their own power and make their own shelter before escaping. Ant will provide insight into the physical and mental strains they are enduring.
Producers are looking for people with engineering knowledge.
It is hoped the show will emulate the success of hit US drama Lost, which tracked a group of air-crash survivors, and Channel 4 game show Scrapheap Challenge, in which teams built machines from junk.
A source said: “People really like survival programmes and watching how people can come together against the odds.
“This latest idea is a twist on Lost and Scrapheap Challenge and it’s hoped it will appeal to a wide audience.”
A Channel 4 advert for contestants reads: “Dropped in a remote and undisclosed location, a small team of engineers will have only their imagination, resourcefulness and what they can find from the debris of a crash to create a vehicle to escape from the scene.
“With a finite amount of food and water they must work fast to create a vehicle that will help them escape.”
It comes after I revealed last week that Eden was in tatters after Channel 4 bosses cut the number of episodes.
And contestant Tara Zieleman walked out claiming bullying from the men. More contestants are since believed to have quit.
This new show definitely sounds more interesting.
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DAN WOOTTON'S BIZ TV COLUMN
bizbit
- STRICTLY’s JOANNE CLIFTON revealed her mum and dad made her choose between dancing and singing. She said: “My parents said we will support you whichever way you choose to go but we can’t really afford both.”
- FORMER This Morning host RICHARD MADELEY shattered his elbow after a freak fall.
Posting a picture of his arm in a sling, he revealed he would need a metal plate inserted to help it heal. - THE Walking Dead’s Morgan – LENNIE JAMES – revealed the cast hated being split up and series seven’s slow storylines. He said: “Everyone’s had more time off this season than they’ve ever had, but it’s horrible.”
Shine tops The Voice again
THE rivalry between ITV’s The Voice and BBC1 show Let It Shine has produced the tightest ratings battle in talent show history.
GARY BARLOW’s Beeb show pulled back ahead on Saturday by just 20,000 viewers and a peak audience of 5.74million.
Last week’s Voice overtook it, as six million saw the 8pm show, beating Let It Shine by 300,000.
But only 5.72million saw this weekend’s Voice, down from its 6.4million opener.
A source said: “It looks like people are watching Let It Shine then switching over to catch up with The Voice.”
The two shows, which overlap for 25 minutes, have been rivals since the Beeb lost the rights to air The Voice, right, to ITV.
According to ex-TAKE THAT boss NIGEL MARTIN-SMITH, Gary’s show has struggled because he and co-judges MARTIN KEMP, AMBER RILEY and DANNII MINOGUE are too nice.
Element-ary Sherlock
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH clearly likes playing clever people.
The Sherlock star has shown watt he looks like as lightbulb inventor THOMAS EDISON in new movie The Current War.
He has already played geniuses such as STEPHEN HAWKING and ALAN TURING and painter VINCENT VAN GOGH.
He will be wanting to do the ALBERT EINSTEIN biopic next.
Matt's guess work
IT’s only been a week since I revealed the Xtra Factor had been axed.
But host MATT EDMONDSON has already lined up a new presenting role on ITV2.
The Radio 1 DJ is shooting a pilot for a panel show called JudgeMENTAL.
It will see two celebrity teams have to correctly guess what people do for a living purely by looking at them.
A pilot for the show is due to be shot next week.
A TV insider said: “Matt is clearly liked and impressed during his time on the Xtra Factor’s last series.
“Bosses have high hopes for this new panel show and think it will be a hit.”
It comes as fellow radio DJ and 2Awesome host ROMAN KEMP revealed he is also in talks to present a few programmes on the same channel.
He said: “It’s nice to know that ITV2 trust me to host a show on my own or with someone else. It’s exciting.”
Maybe they’ll be working together.
Soapbox
THERE are still problems for Steve and Michelle following the death of their baby son in CORONATION STREET.
He is taken aback when she snaps at him after he suggests going out to lunch, only for her to change her mind minutes later.
But during lunch Michelle hits the bottle and Steve later confesses to Robert that he doesn’t know how they will get through this.
Meanwhile the market traders are in for a worrying time in EASTENDERS due to rumours of a move.
The stallholders pressure Carmel who admits plans to move the market are only at an early stage.
Martin goes on strike, but the others refuse to follow him. I’m sure they’ll join him in the Queen Vic later.