Future of BBC’s Have I Got Sport For You revealed ahead of special hosted by comedian Jason Manford
IT looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of the BBC’s new panel show Have I Got Sport For You.
Even though the one-off festive special doesn’t air until tonight, Beeb bosses are so impressed they want a full series.
Executives at the corporation have had a look at the pre-recording, hosted by comedian and actor Jason Manford, and they think it has got legs.
A TV insider said: “They very much see this as a potential sister show for Have I Got News For You, and think that sports fits in well with the show’s existing format.
“Although tonight’s show looks back at the previous year of sport, any future series is likely to just look back over the previous week.
“But it’s not clear whether Jason will be the permanent host or if they might rotate the person in charge of the questions like they do on Have I Got News For You.
“What they do want is someone who can keep the vibe light-hearted and full of banter. In many ways that’s more important than the quiz element.
“They want this to be a show that broadens out to attract the biggest audience possible, not just sports fanatics.”
After months of speculation, I exclusively confirmed in November that the Beeb was making the show in Hammersmith, West London.
Team captains Maisie Adam and Jon Richardson are joined by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, Olympic heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Paralympic cyclist Kadeena Cox and England fast-bowling legend Stuart Broad to discuss an incredible year of sport including Wimbledon and Euro2024.
Deborah: It’s pitch perfect
TWO decades on from its telly debut, Deborah Meaden says business show Dragons’ Den is better than ever.
Ahead of the 22nd series launching next Thursday, she teased a higher calibre of budding entrepreneur, adding: “Each year, the quality of the pitches gets better – and this year may well be the most impressive yet!”
Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Sauce, Wonderland magazine and Trunki suitcases are ideas that have been in the Den.
But these days there’s a focus on health.
Deborah, who has been a Dragon on the show since 2006 and will be joined by guests Joe Wicks and Trinny Woodall, said: “Dragons is a reflection of the changes in society.
“We see lots of interest in mental and physical health, empowerment and, of course, the ever-practical solutions which make everyone go, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’.”
STACEY SOLOMON and Joe Swash will star in their own fly-on-the-wall series for BBC One.
Cameras will follow the couple and their five children at their home Pickle Cottage as they juggle family life with their showbiz careers. Stacey & Joe will air later this year.
Kath’s BGT big no joke
SHE has been a UK TV regular for well over a decade, and now Katherine Ryan has her sights set on a Britain’s Got Talent judging role.
The comedian has just completed a stint on the panel of her native Canada’s Got Talent and reckons she is a modern-day Simon Cowell.
In an exclusive interview, she said: “I’d love to be a Britain’s Got Talent judge.
“I’ve found a natural love for judging people. I love the UK. I think people are the funniest here.”
Katherine was on the Canadian panel with singer Shania Twain and actor Howie Mandel, and reckons she brought lots of laughs.
The star, who has lived in London since 2007, said: “I think Canada is ready for edgy humour and they needed their own Simon Cowell. I loved it and was warmly received.”
COMEDIAN Russell Howard has bucked the trend and is airing a stand-up special on his own website – not on Netflix.
Russell Howard Live at The London Palladium will stream on January 15 at 8pm at russell-howard.co.uk/special.
On the night he’ll be answering live questions from fans.
Hanks is voice of America
TWO Oscar winners are behind a brand new nature series set to air on BBC One later this year.
Tom Hanks and composer Hans Zimmer lend their tones to epic new ten-parter The Americas.
It showcases the secrets and fragilities of the continent using cutting-edge technology to uncover never-before-seen behaviour and highlight untold stories.
It’s been five years in the making and each episode features an iconic location: the Atlantic Coast, Mexico, Wild West, The Amazon, the Frozen North, Gulf Coast, the Andes, the Caribbean, the West Coast and Patagonia.
Jo Lapping of the BBC said: “The spectacular beauty and diversity of the American continents has been captured in this mesmerising series from a multi-award-winning team; Tom Hanks, Hans Zimmer, BBC Studios Natural History and Universal Television Alternative Studio.”
Kim and Co make return
THE Kardashians have shared a teaser trailer of their sixth series ahead of their return next month.
Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie and Kris are seen stepping out of paintings in an art gallery, with the tagline “boundaries are made to be broken”.
The new series will premiere on February 6 on Disney+ and promises to show the cast taking on “a year full of challenges, milestones and new adventures”.
An announcement for the show said they “will have to rely on each other as they navigate their roles as mums and businesswomen, to overcome the obstacles that come with their increasingly complicated lives”.