Reality hit show Survivor is set for a British reboot on the BBC, the public broadcaster said Monday.
“A new U.K. adaption of the entertainment phenomenon has been commissioned by BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Banijay U.K. company Remarkable Entertainment, run by leading entertainment producers Natalka Znak and Claire O’Donohoe,” the broadcaster unveiled.
The 16-episode season “promises viewers a compelling test of brains, brawn and betrayal as players compete to outwit, outplay and outlast their rivals to be crowned the Ultimate Survivor,” the BBC said in summarizing the format’s tried and tested formula. “Twenty people, carefully selected from across the U.K. will be marooned in a tropical location. They will be divided into two tribes, going head-to-head in a range of physical and psychological challenges. Following a number of eliminations that will take place at the iconic tribal council, the tribes will eventually merge before one person takes away a cash prize and proves that they have what it takes to be the Ultimate Survivor.”
Survivor, a format created by Charlie Parsons and first employed in Sweden in 1997, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. “Fifty versions have been commissioned around the world to date, and the CBS version of the show from the USA will soon be airing its 43rd (season),” the BBC said.
The news comes after the BBC recently unveiled it would reboot Gladiators, the U.K version of American Gladiators and a show that became a staple of British Saturday night TV in the 1990s.
“Survivor is a global television hit and to be able to bring one of TV’s most successful formats to audiences in the U.K. in a uniquely BBC way is a very exciting prospect indeed,” said Kate Phillips, director of unscripted at the BBC.
Znak, CEO of Remarkable Entertainment, added: “Survivor is ‘the greatest gameshow on earth’ for a reason — it has everything — reality, adventure, drama and the ultimate game. I can’t wait to be boots on the ground, working with Paul Osborne, Stephen Lovelock and the fantastic team at Remarkable to make this epic series for the BBC.”
Further details on the BBC version of Survivor will be unveiled “in due course,” the broadcaster said.
