It’s that time of year when the rumors of a Survivor UK revival spark up again, and the latest speculation suggests the hit reality series could be relaunched on the BBC.
According to a new report from The Sun, the BBC is in talks to bring Survivor back to UK television screens after 20 years off-air. The negotiations are said to be in the late stages, with the Beeb just weeks away from signing an agreement to revive the reality franchise.
“The BBC have been working hard on getting Survivor back on the box and the deal is almost done,” a source told The Sun. “They have been working on a big contract with a production company to reboot the series.”
Banijay Group owns the rights to the Survivor format in the UK after acquiring it from Castaway Television Productions in 2017. It has been well documented over the past couple of years that Banijay has been trying to reboot the show for British audiences.
“Having hands on the format means we can polish it and come up with Survivor 2.0, because it needs a refresh,” Banijay Group’s COO Peter Langenberg previously told Broadcast Now. “It’s a good format—it has to be, it’s in 25 to 30 countries. Look at Love Island, I’m A Celebrity…, The Island—these types of shows work in the UK.”
The Sun‘s source adds that “The dream would be to have it going out at prime time on BBC One” and notes that if all goes well, “casting will begin in the coming months.”
“The BBC could not be more excited about the prospect of bringing Survivor back and given the budget and resources they could invest in it – it could be absolutely amazing,” the insider added.
Two seasons of Survivor UK aired on the ITV network from 2001 to 2002, but the show never found the huge success that it did in the United States. Newsreader Mark Austen hosted the first season, with England cricketer Mark Nicholas taking over for the second season.
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There is no word yet on hosts for the potential new season, but The Sun‘s source states, “The details are being hashed out. But they have a couple of presenters in mind to host the show. It’s a really exciting time for those working on the revamped programme and the sky is the limit.”
The news comes just days after The Sun reported that ITV is in talks to revive Big Brother UK.
Stay tuned to Inside Survivor for further info.
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I’m definitely applying for this, even though I hate camping!
Who, that’s huge news! Can’t wait to apply for Survivor UK
This should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s The S*n.
Yeah, on principle, I hate The Sun. But they have a decent track record with TV news.
I just hope theres no public vote involved as UK has never had any proper social strategy shows aside from maybe the circle. If this is the case I will definately apply!
Let Aussie host Jonathan host this version!
When do people think casting would open up? do you think it would be advertised as “apply for survivor” or would it be called a fake name?
Thanks.