5 Sept 2022
Remarkable entertainment behind the return of Survivor
The reboot of US reality giant Survivor will have a 16-part run when it lands on BBC1 next year.
It has been revealed that Remarkable Entertainment is prepping a reboot of the long-running format 20 years after it last aired in the UK and the BBC has now confirmed it was ordered by director of unscripted Kate Phillips in her previous capacity as director of entertainment.
The show revolves around two ‘tribes’ who are stranded on a tropical island and must go head-to-head in a series of challenges.
The 16 x 60-minute format will feature 20 contestants with one taking away a cash prize after eliminations at the tribal council.
Remarkable Entertainment chief exec Natalka Znak and director of programmes Claire O’Donohoe are exec producers for the series, alongside Paul Osborne and Stephen Lovelock. The format was developed for the BBC by Richard Hague, who has produced BBC gameshows including Pointless and The Wall. The commissioning editor is Rachel Ashdown.
Unscripted chief Kate Phillips said: “Survivor is a global television hit and to be able to bring one of TV’s most successful formats to audiences in the UK in a uniquely BBC way is a very exciting prospect indeed.”
Remarkable’s Znak, whose credits include I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here and Love Island during her ITV Studios tenure, called it “the greatest gameshow on earth” because “it has everything - reality, adventure, drama, and the ultimate game”.
Broadcast confirmation, presenter information and further casting details for the UK version of Survivor will be announced in due course.
Survivor, a Banijay format created 25 years ago by Charlie Parsons, was one of the most watched reality entertainment formats around the world and aired for two series on ITV. 50 versions have been commissioned around the world to date, with CBS soon to air its 43rd series.