Double TROUBLE

MICHAEL MCINTYRE on how fresh twists and star power will make this the best series of The Wheel yet

- HANNAH DAVIES

THE WHEEL SATURDAY, 8.20PM, BBC1 ENTERTAINMENT

When Michael McIntyre devised a game show with a human roulette at its heart while taking a bath, he never dreamt it would go on to become one of the nation’s favourites after it spun on to our screens in 2020.

‘The Wheel has become a better show than I imagined myself when I thought of it,’ shares the award-winning comedian, 48, who is back at the helm this week for a fifth series of the BBC1 epic, which promises to be even bigger and better than before with a new Hall of Fame, a double-chair twist featuring pairs of celebrity experts, plus an A-list surprise.

‘I loved the idea of having celebrities bring categories that they deemed themselves experts in. I loved the randomness of a wheel and having humans aboard one, and I loved the idea of having contestants on a wheel beneath popping up and down.

‘But what I didn’t know then was how much camaraderie and comedy there would be when we all came together with the shared purpose to win lovely, deserving people money, and the intense drama and tension that would lead to. Oh, and the theme tune is clearly amazing!’

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