Splash! (UK TV series)
| Splash! | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Reality |
| Written by | Adam Bostock-Smith |
| Directed by | Julia Knowles |
| Presented by |
Gabby Logan Vernon Kay |
| Starring | Tom Daley |
| Judges |
Andy Banks Jo Brand Leon Taylor |
| Narrated by | Alan March |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Shirley Jones Darren Smith |
| Producer(s) |
Aaron Kidd Gyles Neville |
| Location(s) | Inspire: Luton Sports Village, Luton, Bedfordshire |
| Running time | 90 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) | Twofour |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV, STV, UTV |
| Picture format | 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Original release | 5 January 2013 – 15 February 2014 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Celebrity Splash! |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Splash! is a British television series that follows celebrities as they try to master the art of diving. The celebrities perform each week in front of a panel of judges and a live audience in an Olympic-size diving pool with the result each week partly determined by public vote. Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay present the show,[1] whilst Team GB Olympic Bronze Medal winning diver Tom Daley is the expert mentor to the celebrities.[2] It is filmed at the Inspire: Luton Sports Village, which is based in Stopsley, Luton.[3] The show premiered on ITV on 5 January 2013 winning the ratings battle for its 7.15pm-8.15pm slot with an average audience of 5.6 million viewers, a network share of 23.6%,[4][5] however, it was cancelled on 15 February 2014 after just two series.[6]
The format for the show originated from the Celebrity Splash! franchise created by television production company Eyeworks in the Netherlands,[7] and was broadcast on SBS 6 as Sterren Springen Op Zaterdag (Celebrities Jumping On Saturday).[8]
Format
The show is broadcast live on ITV on Saturday evenings, and is presented by Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay. In the show celebrities compete against each other performing dives in order to impress a judging panel and the viewing public. The series consists of heats where two celebrities from each go into the semi finals, and then followed by a live final on successive Saturdays.
Series overview
To date, two series have been broadcast, as summarised below.
| Series | Start | Finish | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Hosts | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 5 January 2013 | 2 February 2013 | Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards | Jake Canuso | Linda Barker | Gabby Logan Vernon Kay |
Andy Banks Jo Brand Leon Taylor |
| Two | 4 January 2014 | 15 February 2014 | Perri Kiely | Richard Whitehead | Keith Duffy | ||
Main series results
Series 1 (2013)
The first series began airing on 5 January 2013 and ran for 5 weeks ending on 2 February 2013.
The contestants for the first series were:
| Celebrity | Known for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Jade Ewen | Singer | Eliminated 1st |
| Helen Lederer | Comedian, actress & writer | Eliminated 2nd |
| Jenni Falconer | TV presenter | Eliminated 3rd |
| Diarmuid Gavin | Garden designer | Eliminated 4th |
| Caprice | Model and actress | Eliminated 5th |
| Joey Essex | Reality TV star | Eliminated 6th |
| Donna Air | TV presenter | Eliminated 7th |
| Dom Joly | Comedian and actor | Eliminated 8th |
| Tina Malone | Actress | Eliminated 9th |
| Anthony Ogogo | Olympic professional boxer | Withdrew |
| Charlotte Jackson | Journalist and TV presenter | Eliminated 10th |
| Omid Djalili | Comedian and actor | Eliminated 10th |
| Linda Barker | Interior designer and TV presenter | Third place |
| Jake Canuso | Actor | Runner-up |
| Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards | Olympic ski jumper | Winner |
Series 2 (2014)
On 4 February 2013, a second series was confirmed[9] and began airing on 4 January 2014[10] and ran for 7 weeks ending on 15 February 2014.
The contestants for the second series are:
| Celebrity | Known for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Gemma Merna | Actress | Eliminated 1st |
| Ricky Groves | Actor | Eliminated 2nd |
| Gemma Collins | Reality TV star | Eliminated 3rd |
| Martin Offiah | Rugby player | Eliminated 4th |
| Paul Ross | Journalist | Eliminated 5th |
| Toyah Willcox | Singer | Eliminated 6th |
| Patrick Monahan | Comedian | Eliminated 7th |
| Paul Young | Singer | Eliminated 8th |
| Penny Mordaunt | Politician | Eliminated 9th |
| Pollyanna Woodward | TV presenter | Eliminated 10th |
| Jenny Eclair | Comedian | Eliminated 11th |
| Una Healy | Singer | Eliminated 12th |
| Michaela Strachan | TV presenter | Eliminated 13th |
| Danielle Lloyd | Model | Eliminated 14th |
| Austin Healey | Rugby player | Withdrew |
| Anna Williamson | TV presenter | Eliminated 15th |
| Dan Osborne | Reality TV star | Eliminated 16th |
| Keith Duffy | Singer | Third place |
| Richard Whitehead | Paralympic runner | Runner-up |
| Perri Kiely | Dancer | Winner |
Reception
The show received generally poor reviews from critics after its premiere, including "utterly awful",[11] "a new low for television"[12] and "probably the worst programme ever screened in primetime".[13] Despite the critical drubbing, however, it achieved reasonable ratings and was recommissioned for a second series.[14]
Concern was shown for Daley's role in the show by the head of British Swimming David Sparkes, who claimed that he is in danger of putting his media work before his sporting career, and possibly hampering his chances of a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.[15][16] Andy Banks, Daley's coach at Plymouth Diving and British Swimming, hit back at Sparkes' criticism airing his concerns that such negative comments might take the fun out of diving for Daley and indeed drive him away from the sport altogether to pursue his media career.[17] Daley's mother Debbie Daley also responded directly to Sparkes' complaints in an open letter published by the Daily Mail online in which she gave her son's career choices her complete backing and bemoaned Sparkes' lack of direct communication with either Daley or his representatives before issuing statements to the press.[18] Daley eventually won a bronze medal in the men's synchronized platform dive in the 2016 Games.
Jo Brand received criticism for her role as a judge, as she has no apparent expertise in diving.[19]
Heat 3 contestant Tina Malone made negative comments in an interview with Liverpool radio station Juice FM several days before her appearance on the show. She called this and other reality shows "garbage" as well as stating that "It’s the big fat cheques that make me happy" in reference to the fact she appears in such TV shows only for the financial reward.[20][21]
International versions
A US version, under the title Splash, premiered on 19 March 2013 from the Riverside Aquatics Complex at Riverside City College and Pasadena's Rose Bowl Aquatics Center on ABC television.[22][23] The US version features 2012 Olympic 10 m diving champion David Boudia and American diving legend Greg Louganis as judges.[24] The Seven Network in Australia have also commissioned Celebrity Splash! which aired in 2013.[25]
References
- ↑ "Celebs dive in". The Sun. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "Olympic star Tom Daley launches celebrity diving show". Newsbeat. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "Celebs making a splash with Tom". Luton Today. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Sweney, Mark (7 January 2013). "Tom Daley proves he's chairman of the board with solid debut for Splash!". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Walker-Arnott, Ellie (4 February 2013). "Splash! secures second series". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "ITV's Splash! gets the axe after two series". Tellymix. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ↑ "Celebrity Splash". Eyeworks. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "Sterren Springen Op Zaterdag". SBS 6 (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Nissim, Mayer (4 February 2013). "'Splash!': Tom Daley reality show to return for second series in 2014". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ ITV’s Splash! 2014 start date set for January 4 | Splash! | Telly Mix
- ↑ Dowell, Ben (7 January 2013). "Splash! Some TV is so bad it's good". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Bryant, Tom (6 January 2013). "Tom Daley's belly flop: ITV diving show Splash! sunk by fans – yet 6.1m still tune in". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Jardine, Stephen (9 January 2013). "Saturday night flop Splash has me diving bored already". Daily Record. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Heritage, Stuart (5 February 2013). "Splash! returns for a second series - hurrah!". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ↑ "TV show 'could cost Daley medal in Rio'". ESPN.co.uk. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Sale, Charles (7 January 2013). "EXCLUSIVE: Tom's in too deep! British Swimming chief accuses Daley of 'putting cart before horse' with TV show Splash!". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Hart, Simon (9 January 2013). "Tom Daley's coach fears diver may quit sport after latest row over his media commitments". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Tom's Olympic medal probably kept you in your job. He turned down his friends and holidays to keep diving after the Games. Isn't it time you left my son alone?". Daily Mail. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Buckland, Lucy (5 January 2013). "What does Jo Brand know about diving? Twitter explodes as the most bizarre celebrity reality series yet hits our screens... Meet Splash!". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Thomas, Chloe (9 January 2013). "'It's garbage but you gotta do it': Splash! contestant Tina Malone blasts ITV show and admits she's only doing it for the 'fat cheque'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ "'Splash!' Contestant Tina Malone Calls Tom Daley's Show 'Garbage'". The Huffington Post. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Grosvenor, Carrie (26 October 2012). "Stars In Danger: High Diving and Celebrity Splash – Upcoming Shows Full of Awesome". Unreality TV. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Patrick Kevin Day (19 March 2013). "ABC, Louie Anderson take the plunge with 'Splash'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (29 November 2012). "Olympian David Boudia to Judge ABC's Celebrity Diving Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ Knox, David (16 October 2012). "Seven set to Celebrity Splash into 2013". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 January 2013.