‘It's pure comfort TV'

Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness on revisiting a classic

- ELAINE REILLY

Hands up who remembers the Dizzy Dummies, the Sweeper and, of course, the Big Red Balls?

Filmed on location in Buenos Aires, BBC1’s Total Wipeout, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, proved hilarious entertainment from 2009 to 2012 as viewers watched contestants take on an epic obstacle course in the hope of winning £10,000.

Now, Top Gear presenters Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness are bringing their special banter to narrate classic episodes of the game show for a six-part series, Total Wipeout: Freddie & Paddy Takeover.

Here, Freddie, 42, and Paddy, who turns 47 on 14 August, tell TV Times what to expect…

Why is now a good time to revisit this show?

FREDDIE: Everyone I’ve spoken to is excited by it. People are introducing their kids to Total Wipeout for the first time over lockdown. It just doesn’t date. It’s still very funny!

PADDY: We need those Big Red Balls back in our lives! Wipeout is silly, pure comfort TV.

How would you describe the show to a brand-new viewer?