SINCE it launched in 1965, Mr & Mrs has remained one of TV’s most popular formats and sparked a string of copycat shows.
Now the relationship quiz show looks to have inspired another entertainment show for ITV.
The Mr & Mrs format was last used in Vernon Kay’s Gameshow Marathon in 2007[/caption]
I can reveal that the broadcaster is casting for loved-up pairs keen to be named Britain’s Best Couple.
The original Mr & Mrs show — which ran until 1999 — set a husband-and-wife team a series of multiple-choice questions, but ITV’s new incarnation will go further.
A note calling for contestants reads: “Do you know your partner better than anyone? Are you the ultimate team?
“Would you like to take on some fun physical challenges together?”
There was renewed interest in the format when ITV used Mr & Mrs in Vernon Kay’s Gameshow Marathon in 2007.
A year later it was reinvented as All-Star Mr & Mrs, hosted by Phillip Schofield, with celebrity couples.
A source said: “The core premise of quizzing couples is timeless.
“The new format is in development and at this stage there are a number of plans on the table as to how the various elements of the game could work and how it would look on screen.
“This isn’t a straight reboot, more taking the idea of challenging couples, but everyone is very excited.”
ITV is also working on a format based on the ultimate fitness challenge.
A separate casting note reads: “Have you got incredible stamina?”
Sounds like ITV’s ideas team certainly do.
JAMES TO SPLOSH THE POSH
THE show was last seen on our screens in 2022, ahead of an expansion of its headquarters.
But now Posh Pawn star James Constantinou – who owns the show’s Prestige Pawnbrokers company – has revealed that viewers can expect another series.
James is keen for the Channel 4 cameras to return to his pawnbrokers premises, as the business empire he has built up prepares to open its ninth store – with the hope of catching even more curious customers on camera.
James said: “Filming the show was incredible and some of the most fun we’ve ever had.
“We have taken a break to focus on growing the business, but with our expansion, we’re ready to welcome the cameras back into our stores to capture some more weird, wonderful and extraordinary moments.”
LIVE DUO READY TO ROLLER
Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones are taking part in the Comic Relief 24-hour skateathon[/caption]
MORNING Live duo Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones will need to be in step with each other for their Comic Relief 24-hour skateathon.
So it helps that they are already used to leaning on one another in their personal lives.
The presenting pals, who are both single, have become wingmen for each other as they navigate the dating scene.
Helen told TV Biz: “He’s like, ‘What about her?’ I’m like, ‘No, she’s no good for you.’
“And I’m like, ‘What about him? And he’s like, ‘No, he’s no good for you’.”
Their Comic Relief challenge, which begins this morning and ends during Morning Live tomorrow, Red Nose Day, will see the pair skate continuously to encourage donations to the charity.
Gethin said: “We’ve had very different rollerskating journeys. Helen went straight into the rink. I had to go up and down on the side as I kept falling over. Seven and eight year-olds were laughing at me.”
Gethin and Helen’s Wheely Big Challenge kicks off at 10am today. The full 24 hours will be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
SUE: I’M A PAWN ADDICT
IT’S a game of concentration and strategy – but Sue Perkins is keen to show that chess can also be funny and sexy with her new BBC show.
The Bake Off presenter oversees the action on Chess Masters: The Endgame, airing Mondays at 8pm on BBC Two, alongside The Traitors star Anthony Mathurin and chess legend David Howell.
She told the Dish by Waitrose podcast: “With these guys it’s knife edge, but they just let me goof about.
“I’ve never seen passion like it, quiet passion, until I turn up and go, ‘Hiya! Let me sprinkle some puns on that! Can I make jokes about porn??’
“When you think chess, you think maybe 65-year-old guy, dusty collar, but no, I’ve also discovered chess is hot!”
DISNEY SHOW TO DIE FOR
Michelle Williams stars as breast cancer patient Molly in Disney’s new series Dying For Sex[/caption]
DISNEY’S new series about a woman who left her husband for better sex after a terminal cancer diagnosis will finally hit screens next month.
Dying For Sex, which stars Michelle Williams as breast cancer patient Molly and Jenny Slate as her best friend Nikki, has been in the works for almost two years.
It’s been confirmed for release on April 4, with a first look trailer teasing the steamy action as Molly meets with strangers to fulfil her sexual desires.
The series is based on the real-life events of Molly Kochan’s final year of life – which saw her tick off a bedroom bucket list after leaving husband Steve, played by Steve Duplass.
It will also star Rob Delaney, Kelvin Yu, David Rasche and Esco Jouley.
