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The Games (British TV series)

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Not to be confused with The Game (British TV series).

The Games
GenreReality sports game show
Presented byJamie Theakston (2003–2006)
Holly Willoughby (2022)
Freddie Flintoff (2022)
StarringJayne Middlemiss (2003–2005)
Kirsty Gallacher (2006)
Alex Scott (2022)
Yung Filly (2022)
Voices ofDavid Goldstrom (2003–2006)
Simon Brotherton (2022)
Chris Kamara (2022)
Theme music composer
  • Dobs Vye (2003–2006)
  • A-Mnemonic (2022)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companiesEndemol UK Productions (2003–2005)
Initial (2006, 2022)
Original release
NetworkChannel 4 (2003–2006)
ITV (2022)
Release7 September 2003 (2003-09-07) –
13 May 2022 (2022-05-13)

The Games is a British reality sports game show that ran on Channel 4 for four series, in which 10 celebrities competed against each other, by doing Olympic-style events, such as weight lifting, gymnastics and diving. At the end of the series, the contestants with the most points from each round were awarded either a gold, silver or bronze medal.

The series was revived by ITV in May 2022, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff.[1]

History

[edit]

The show was mainly filmed in Sheffield, at the Sheffield Arena, Don Valley Stadium and Ponds Forge. In later series, the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield, iceSheffield and in series 4 the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham were used for the first time. Most recently the show has been broadcast from the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in south London.

Presenters

[edit]

The Games was presented by Jamie Theakston for the entirety of its run, with track-side reports from Jayne Middlemiss in series 1–3 and Kirsty Gallacher in series 4. David Goldstrom was the commentator for the events.

For the 2022 revival series, it is presented by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, with Simon Brotherton taking over as commentator with Chris Kamara by his side.

Person Original Revived
Series
1 2 3 4 1
Presenters
Jamie Theakston Main Does not appear
Holly Willoughby — Main
Freddie Flintoff — Main
Track–side reports
Jayne Middlemiss Main Does not appear
Kirsty Gallacher — Main Does not appear
Alex Scott — Main
Commentators
David Goldstrom Recurring Does not appear
Simon Brotherton — Main
Chris Kamara — Main

Companion shows

[edit]

The Games also had an after-show called The Games: Live at Trackside, aired on Channel 4's sister channel E4. The first series was presented by Dougie Anderson, whilst the second was hosted by Gamezville presenters Darren Malcolm and Jamie Atiko. Justin Lee Collins and Caroline Flack took over as presenters for the third and fourth series. For the final series an extra one-hour show was added on E4 in the afternoon called The Games: Live at the Heats, and the evening after-show changed title to become The Games: Inside Track.

Main series results

[edit]
Series champions
Series Female Male
1 Winner 1st place, gold medalist(s) Azra Akın and Terri Dwyer 1st place, gold medalist(s) Harvey
Runner-up 2nd place, silver medalist(s) James Hewitt
Third place 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Josie d'Arby 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Lee Latchford-Evans
2 Winner 1st place, gold medalist(s) Lady Isabella Hervey 1st place, gold medalist(s) Shane Lynch and Jarrod Batchelor
Runner-up 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Katy Hill
Third place 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Charlie Dimmock 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Romeo
3 Winner 1st place, gold medalist(s) Kirsty Gallacher 1st place, gold medalist(s) Philip Olivier
Runner-up 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Tamara Czartoryska 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Kevin Simm
Third place 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Lisa Maffia 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Chesney Hawkes
4 Winner 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javine Hylton 1st place, gold medalist(s) Jade Jones
Runner-up 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Julia Goldsworthy 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Marcel Somerville
Third place 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Michelle Gayle 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) JK
5 Winner 1st place, gold medalist(s) Chelcee Grimes 1st place, gold medalist(s) Wes Nelson
Runner-up 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Ryan Thomas
Third place 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Rebecca Sarker 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Josh Herdman

Series 1 (2003)

[edit]

The first series aired in 2003 and the celebrities that took part were:[2]

Celebrity Known for Medal achieved
Azra Akın Former Miss World 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Terri Dwyer Hollyoaks actress 1st place, gold medalist(s)
MC Harvey So Solid Crew rapper 1st place, gold medalist(s)
James Hewitt Ex-lover of Diana, Princess of Wales 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Josie d'Arby Television presenter 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Lee Latchford-Evans Steps singer 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Bobby Davro Comedian
Jean-Christophe Novelli Chef
Melanie C Spice Girls singer Withdrew
Gail Porter Television presenter Withdrew

Porter pulled out part-way through the run. A serious knee injury sustained in the judo competition against Akın also forced Chisholm to withdraw.[3]

Series 2 (2004)

[edit]
Charles Ingram competed in series two.

The second series aired in 2004 and the celebrities that took part were:[4]

Celebrity Known for Medal achieved
Lady Isabella Hervey Model & socialite 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Jarrod Bachelor Former Mr Gay UK 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Shane Lynch Boyzone singer 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Katy Hill Television presenter 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
MC Romeo So Solid Crew rapper 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Charlie Dimmock Gardening expert & television presenter 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Charles Ingram Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? cheat
Linda Lusardi Former model & actress
Jodie Marsh Model
Pat Sharp Television & radio presenter

Champion of Champions 2004

[edit]

After the second series a special champion of champions edition, took place in which the top two male and female competitors from series one and two went head to head to compete for the title, The Games Champion of Champions. Eventually the team from 2003 won. They comprised MC Harvey, James Hewitt, Terri Dwyer and Josie d'Arby (Azra Akın was unavailable to take part).

Series 3 (2005)

[edit]

The third series commenced on 25 March 2005 and the celebrities that took part were:[5][6]

Celebrity Known for Medal achieved
Kirsty Gallacher Television presenter 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Philip Olivier Actor 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon Model 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Kevin Simm Liberty X singer 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Chesney Hawkes Singer 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Lisa Maffia So Solid Crew member & model 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Craig Charles Red Dwarf actor & comedian
Anna Walker Television presenter
Mel Giedroyc Comedian
Danny Foster Former Hear'Say singer
Jonathon Morris Actor Withdrew

Morris pulled out half-way through the run, and was replaced by Foster.

Injuries also forced Kevin Simm out of the Sumo competition, and Craig Charles out of the speed skating and vaulting competitions.[7]

Champion of Champions 2005

[edit]

After the third series, another special champion of champions edition took place in which the top two male and female competitors from Team 2003, Team 2004 and Team 2005 competed against each other in weightlifting, hammer throwing and finally the relay race. From Team 2003, James Hewitt, Harvey, Terri Dwyer and Josie D'Arby competed. From Team 2004, Romeo, Jarrod Batchelor, Katy Hill and Lady Isabella Hervey competed. From Team 2005, Kevin Simm, Philip Olivier, Lisa Maffia and Kirsty Gallacher, competed. Team 2005 narrowly beat the team from the first series overall.[8]

Series 4 (2006)

[edit]

The fourth series commenced on 17 March 2006, and was presented as usual by Jamie Theakston, and track-side coverage was taken over by Series Three contestant Kirsty Gallacher. There was a total of 18 different sporting events to test their skills and abilities. The men competed in water ski jump, weights, Kendo, vault, diving, speed skating, cycling, javelin and 100m sprint. The women competed in whitewater kayak, hurdles, cycling, gym floor, swimming, curling, archery, hammer and 100m sprint.[9]

Contestants that took part in the show were:

Celebrity Known for Medal achieved
Jade Jones Damage singer 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Javine Hylton Singer 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Julia Goldsworthy Falmouth and Camborne MP 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Marcel Somerville Blazin' Squad rapper 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Michelle Gayle Singer & actress 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Jason King Radio presenter 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Peter Duncan Actor & television presenter
Amanda Lamb A Place in the Sun presenter
Adam Rickitt Former Coronation Street actor & singer
Bernie Nolan Former The Nolans singer

Darren Day was among the original line-up, but after consistently failing to take part in training, he was replaced by eventual winner Jones. DJ Goldie was originally a competitor, but was forced to pull out due to an injury sustained in the training sessions for the water-ski event. He was replaced by Rickitt.[10]

Scores

[edit]
The Girls
Discipline Amanda Bernie Javine Julia Michelle
Whitewater kayak 0 2 4 3 6
Hurdles 3 1 6 5 3
Cycling 4 2 4 6 0
Gym floor 0 3 6 5 2
Swimming 4 3 6 5 0
Curling 0 2 4 3 5
Archery 4 0 5 2 3
Hammer 2 3 5 4 2
100m sprint 2 0 5 3 4
Total 19 16 45 36 25
The Boys
Discipline Peter Adam Jason Jade Marcel
Water ski jump 4 4 1 5 2
Weights 6 1 4 3 7
Kendo 3 0 4 5 3
Vault 0 3 4 5 6
Diving 6 1 4 5 3
Speed skating 5 1 2 6 3
Cycling 3 0 4 5 2
Javelin 0 2 5 6 3
100m sprint 2 0 4 4 5
Total 29 12 32 44 34

Champion of Champions 2006

[edit]

After the fourth series another special champion of champions edition took place in which the top two male and female competitors from series two, three and four competed against each other in a 50 m freestyle swim, diving and a 4 x 50 m freestyle relay at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

Javine Hylton, Julia Goldsworthy MP, Jade Jones and MC Plat'num represented Team 2006, Kirsty Gallacher, Chesney Hawkes, Kevin Simm and HRH Princess Tamara represented Team 2005, and Lady Isabella Hervey, Linda Lusardi, Shane Lynch and Romeo represented Team 2004.

Team 2006 won the champion of champions 2006, scoring 29 points. The team of 2005 came second with 23. Finally team 2004 with 20. This Champion of Champions saw Shane Lynch achieve a dive which had never been performed on The Games before – a somersault. The trophy for the winners was presented to Team 2004, by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Roger Davison.[11]

Series 5 (2022)

[edit]

The series was originally commissioned for 2020 as The Real Games, and then for 2021,[12] but both times were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. In October 2021, it was confirmed that the series would air in 2022.[13]

Contestants

[edit]
Celebrity Known for Medal achieved
Wes Nelson Singer & television personality 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Chelcee Grimes Singer, presenter & footballer 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ryan Thomas Former Coronation Street actor 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown Model & Mel B's daughter 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Josh Herdman Harry Potter actor & mixed martial artist 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Rebecca Sarker Emmerdale actress 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Lucrezia Millarini ITV News newsreader
7th
Kevin Clifton Former Strictly Come Dancing professional
8th
Christine McGuinness Model & The Real Housewives of Cheshire star
9th
Max George The Wanted singer
10th
Olivia Attwood Television personality
11th
Colson Smith Coronation Street actor
12th

Scores

[edit]
Women
Discipline Chelcee Christine Lucrezia Olivia Phoenix Rebecca
100m hurdles 6 3 2 1 5 4
Synchronised diving 5 3 6 4 1 3
50m breast stroke 3 2 5 6 4 1
Javelin throw 2 5 3 1 6 4
400m race 6 1 4 2 3 5
Keirin 6 5 1 2 3 4
Speed climbing 5 3 4 1 6 2
Weightlifting 3 4 5 1 2 6
100m race 6 1 2 3 5 4
Total 42 27 32 21 35 33
Men
Discipline Colson Josh Kevin Max Ryan Wes
Hammer throw 3 2 5 2 6 4
400m race 3 5 4 1 2 6
50m freestyle 1 4 2 5 3 6
Synchronised diving 3 3 4 1 5 6
Canoe slalom 1 4 5 3 6 2
110m hurdles 1 5 2 4 3 6
Speed climbing 1 5 2 3 4 6
Elimination race 4 5 2 1 6 3
100m race 1 5 2 3 4 6
Total 18 38 28 23 39 45

Events

[edit]
Women's 100m hurdles
Celebrity Place Points
Chelcee Grimes 1st 6
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 2nd 5
Rebecca Sarker 3rd 4
Christine McGuinness 4th 3
Lucrezia Millarini 5th 2
Olivia Attwood 6th 1
Men's hammer throw
Celebrity First throw Second throw Points
Ryan Thomas 27.00m 28.91m 6
Kevin Clifton 26.07m No throw 5
Wes Nelson No throw 25.57m 4
Colson Smith 20.04m No throw 3
Josh Herdman No throw No throw 2
Max George No throw No throw 2
Mixed synchronised diving
Celebrity First dive Second dive Total Points
Lucrezia Millarini 52.50 49.50 102.00 6
Wes Nelson
Chelcee Grimes 39.00 52.00 91.00 5
Ryan Thomas
Olivia Attwood 33.00 39.00 72.00 4
Kevin Clifton
Christine McGuinness 36.00 33.00 69.00 3
Josh Herdman
Rebecca Sarker 33.00 36.00 69.00 3
Colson Smith
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 27.75 40.50 68.25 1
Max George
Men's 400m race
Celebrity Time Place Points
Wes Nelson 57.58 1st 6
Josh Herdman 58.35 2nd 5
Kevin Clifton 1:02.04 3rd 4
Colson Smith 1:05.18 4th 3
Ryan Thomas 1:07.86 5th 2
Max George 1:16.55 6th 1
Men's 50m freestyle
Celebrity Time Place Points
Wes Nelson 32.92 1st 6
Max George 34.04 2nd 5
Josh Herdman 35.15 3rd 4
Ryan Thomas 35.52 4th 3
Kevin Clifton 42.00 5th 2
Colson Smith 47.71 6th 1
Men's canoe slalom
Celebrity Time Place Points
Ryan Thomas 79.87 1st 6
Kevin Clifton 109.90 2nd 5
Josh Herdman 115.14 3rd 4
Max George 119.90 4th 3
Wes Nelson 142.04 5th 2
Colson Smith 191.85 6th 1
Women's 50m breast stroke
Celebrity Time Place Points
Olivia Attwood 51.67 1st 6
Lucrezia Millarini 52.57 2nd 5
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 57.48 3rd 4
Chelcee Grimes 57.73 4th 3
Christine McGuinness 1:16.63 5th 2
Rebecca Sarker 1:24.71 6th 1
Men's 100m hurdles
Celebrity Place Points
Wes Nelson 1st 6
Josh Herdman 2nd 5
Max George 3rd 4
Ryan Thomas 4th 3
Kevin Clifton 5th 2
Colson Smith 6th 1
Women's javelin
Celebrity First throw Second throw Points
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown No throw 22.46m 6
Christine McGuinness No throw 20.05m 5
Rebecca Sarker 13.41m 16.71m 4
Lucrezia Millarini 14.68m No throw 3
Chelcee Grimes No throw 13.87m 2
Olivia Attwood 10.79m 11.38m 1
Women's 400m race
Celebrity Time Place Points
Chelcee Grimes 1:06.76 1st 6
Rebecca Sarker 1:12.97 2nd 5
Lucrezia Millarini 1:13.43 3rd 4
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 1:15.90 4th 3
Olivia Attwood 1:16.37 5th 2
Christine McGuinness 1:33.02 6th 1
Women's keirin
Celebrity Place Points
Chelcee Grimes 1st 6
Christine McGuinness 2nd 5
Rebecca Sarker 3rd 4
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 4th 3
Olivia Attwood 5th 2
Lucrezia Millarini 6th 1
Men's speed climbing
Heats
Battle Celebrity Time Result Points
1 Wes Nelson 15.70 Winner —
Kevin Clifton 37.06 Loser 2
2 Josh Herdman 24.90 Winner —
Colson Smith 46.62 Loser 1
3 Max George 22.99 Winner —
Ryan Thomas 23.79 Loser
Semi-final
Battle Celebrity Time Result Points
1 Wes Nelson 16.08 Winner —
Ryan Thomas 17.96 Loser 4
2 Josh Herdman 21.36 Winner —
Max George Timeout Loser 3
Final
Order Celebrity Time Result Points
1 Wes Nelson 14.27 Winner 6
Josh Herdman 14.90 Loser 5
Men's elimination race
Celebrity Place Points
Ryan Thomas 1st 6
Josh Herdman 2nd 5
Colson Smith 3rd 4
Wes Nelson 4th 3
Kevin Clifton 5th 2
Max George 6th 1
Women's speed climbing
  • Olivia Attwood did not compete in this event and automatically received 1 point.
Heats
Battle Celebrity Time Result Points
1 Phoenix-Gulzar Brown 26.74 Winner —
Lucrezia Millarini — Loser
2 Chelcee Grimes 37.10 Winner
Christine McGuinness — Loser
3 Rebecca Sarker Timeout Loser 2
Lucrezia Millarini Timeout Loser —
Semi-final
Battle Celebrity Time Result Points
1 Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 25.75 Winner —
Lucrezia Millarini 35.18 Loser 4
2 Chelcee Grimes 29.01 Winner —
Christine McGuinness 46.44 Loser 3
Final
Order Celebrity Time Result Points
1 Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 23.84 Winner 6
Chelcee Grimes 25.09 Loser 5
Women's weightlifting
Celebrity Best lift Points
Rebecca Sarker 58.80 6
Lucrezia Millarini 55.81 5
Christine McGuinness 55.08 4
Chelcee Grimes 54.33 3
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 46.94 2
Olivia Attwood 41.97 1
Women's 100m race
Celebrity Time Place Points
Chelcee Grimes 13.94 1st 6
Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 14.90 2nd 5
Rebecca Sarker 15.30 3rd 4
Olivia Attwood 15.43 4th 3
Lucrezia Millarini 15.58 5th 2
Christine McGuinness 15.67 6th 1
Men's 100m race
Celebrity Time Place Points
Wes Nelson 12.08 1st 6
Josh Herdman 12.67 2nd 5
Ryan Thomas 13.21 3rd 4
Max George 13.41 4th 3
Kevin Clifton 13.57 5th 2
Colson Smith 14.85 6th 1

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ITV announces celebrity line-up for The Games". itv.com/presscentre. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Channel 4 lets The Games begin". The Guardian. 1 August 2003. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. ^ Ex-Spice Girl Mel C faces surgery Archived 3 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News, 12 September 2003
  4. ^ Sperling, Daniel (17 November 2012). "'The Games': Tube Talk Gold". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. ^ Wilkes, Neil (2 April 2005). "'Games' final pulls in 3.4 million". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Gallacher to continue with 'The Games'". Digital Spy. 27 March 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  7. ^ Wilkes, Neil (22 December 2004). "New 'Games' celebrities confirmed". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  8. ^ "TV ratings: 28 March". The Guardian. 29 March 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  9. ^ "TV review: The Games, Channel 4". Lancashire Telegraph. 27 March 2006. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  10. ^ "The Games 2006". www.femalefirst.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  11. ^ [1][dead link]
  12. ^ "ITV to bring The Real Games to viewers in 2021". Press Centre. 10 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  13. ^ "ITV RETURN TO THE REAL GAMES FOR 2022". TVZoneUK. 20 October 2021. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
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