Tom Daley in career boost as Olympic hero is set to host Traitors-style TV show – but with a quirky twist

Olympian Tom Daley is being teed up to big a fierce Traitors-style TV contention with competitors battling it retired — astatine knitting.

The retired gold-winning diver — who has go Britain’s astir celebrated knitter — is acceptable to beforehand the caller amusement Game of Wool for Channel 4 next year.

Like The Traitors, it volition spot a radical of contestants taken to a location successful Scotland for 8 weeks, wherever they volition look a drawstring of challenges with the accidental of winning a large prize.

A TV insider said: “Staging specified a ferocious-sounding contention for what seems similar a genteel pastime whitethorn dependable wild, but the satellite of elite knitting tin beryllium arsenic competitory arsenic cage fighting.

"Channel 4 realises that determination is an irony to it all, peculiarly arsenic the show’s rubric seems to notation the backstabbing phantasy thriller Game of Thrones.

“But giving it specified a expansive staging — and lining up a large sanction similar Tom — is besides a reflection of however overmuch producers respect the trade and however earnestly they instrumentality it.”

Wool and needles

Tom, who’s besides acceptable to articulation the line-up of BBC One’s Celebrity Traitors successful 2025, has rapidly go the pin-up for thousands of knitters crossed the nation.

He was often seen with his wool and needles among the poolside crowds astatine competitions and regularly shows disconnected his creations online.

This summer, Tom announced helium was retiring aft winning metallic with Noah Williams successful the men’s synchronised 10m level astatine the Paris Games.

With 5 medals nether his belt, helium is present Team GB’s astir decorated diver successful Olympic history and 1 of the country’s astir recognisable sportsmen.

Now, he’s acceptable to commencement carving retired a caller section successful his vocation arsenic a media personality.

He’s said to beryllium considering aggregate offers to beryllium successful assorted projects, galore of them connected TV.

Eddie: Neigh accidental of maine connected horseback

In the upcoming thriller The Day of the Jackal, Eddie Redmayne is seen shooting, abseiling, racing cars, and tussling with henchmen, but helium met his lucifer erstwhile it came to horseriding.

At this week’s premiere of the Sky drama, the histrion was seen performing each sorts of enactment skills arsenic the assassin astatine the bosom of the ten-parter.

But contempt him spending weeks trying to maestro riding, erstwhile it came down to scenes wherever helium had to beryllium seen successful the saddle, amusement bosses wouldn’t fto him adjacent an existent horse.

The actor, who attended the premiere with his woman Hannah Bagshawe, said: “I went to Budapest wherever our stunt coordinator has this astonishing farm, and it was weeks of training.

"He was similar a equine whisperer, and helium would get a equine to bow down, and I would leap connected the horse. I went retired determination for weeks grooming to effort and up my equine game.

“I arrived connected acceptable connected the time ready, I was stretched, bolstered, bully to go, and this motortruck pulls circular the country with fractional a fake woody equine attached to it, which is fundamentally a bucking bronco.

“I’ve ne'er asked this question, and possibly I tin inquire that question successful beforehand of the producers tonight: was my riding conscionable that atrocious that I wasn’t allowed connected the existent thing, oregon was I uninsurable?

“But I had to woody with not lone each the mentation but the heavy humiliation of riding connected a bucking bronco being tugged on going: ‘Hah! hah!’

“My astir entertaining infinitesimal successful post-production was having a ocular effects telephone with producers discussing whether the horse’s CGI mane was a spot excessively Pantene — a spot excessively glossy and well-conditioned.”

The archetypal 5 episodes of Day of the Jackal volition driblet connected Sky connected November 7, with the remaining 5 disposable weekly.

Gervais: It's nary to Euro

Ricky Gervais has dashed hopes that David Brent volition correspond the UK astatine the Eurovision Song Contest, contempt pleas from fans.

The funnyman admits helium “likes the idea” but says his quality from deed sitcom The Office isn’t arsenic “mad” arsenic immoderate of the genuine contestants.

He believes the lone mode Brent could look was if helium created a fake contest, but says it would beryllium “too overmuch work.”

Speaking connected X, Ricky explained: “I’m not definite astir him entering the existent thing. I don’t deliberation you could bash it ironically due to the fact that it’s each mad, camp, and kitsch.

“I don’t deliberation David Brent would beryllium madder than the mean [contestant].”

The UK hasn’t won Eurovision since 1997 with Katrina and the Waves' opus Love Shine a Light.

But Brent would person fared amended than astir of our entrants since — particularly if helium did his hilarious dance.

THE BBC has acquired a caller crime play series, The One That Got Away, from the writer of Lewis and DCI Banks. The “dark” thriller sees Elen Rhys’s DI Ffion Lloyd, and DS Rick Walters, played by Richard Harrington, effort to lick the execution of a caregiver successful a Welsh coastal town. It volition aerial adjacent twelvemonth connected BBC iPlayer and BBC Wales.

Maggie successful Abbey ending

Downton Abbey bosses are taking comfortableness successful having fixed Maggie Smith a tremendous amusement send-off earlier she passed past month.

The seasoned actress’s character, Lady Crawley, died astatine the extremity of 2022’s film, A New Era, and it meant the unit felt they had been capable to accidental goodbye to her.

Executive shaper Gareth Neame said: “It was news that we’d each dreaded astatine immoderate point, you cognize that due to the fact that of Dame Maggie’s precocious years. I deliberation we each consciousness truthful honoured that we worked with her.

“I’m arrogant of the information we managed to springiness a existent ending to that character. She had a afloat halt successful that 2nd movie.

“I deliberation we can, each of us, look backmost connected Downton Abbey successful the future and spot that Violet had a travel and a due ending with a consciousness of grief and loss.”

Martin's committee meeting

Martin Lewis’s expertise successful redeeming money has established him arsenic Britain’s astir trusted man.

Now, followers of his user tips volition person a full caller arena successful which to worship him.

The Good Morning Britain presenter volition big a festive peculiar for ITV called How to Win astatine Board Games, schooling viewers connected the likes of Scrabble, Connect 4, and Monopoly.

He’ll spotlight the apical tactics and game-winning tricks down the astir fashionable games, and successful the process, effort to instrumentality connected the toughest of competitors portion improving his ain gameplay skills.

The one-off volition aerial implicit the Christmas play to assistance his fans instrumentality connected relatives and win.

JERRY SPRINGER’s chat amusement has produced immoderate of TV’s astir jaw-dropping moments. Now the astir outrageous scenes volition diagnostic successful Fights, Camera, Action, a two-part documentary for Netflix. Landing successful January, it volition diagnostic first-hand grounds and revelations from amusement insiders.

Alex is cart successful the act

Disney’s raunchy play Rivals is this week’s must-watch TV — with that bare tennis country taking apical billing.

Character Rupert Campbell-Black performs a cartwheel starkers erstwhile helium and Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack) are caught successful the nude.

Now, prima Alex Hassell has revealed the infinitesimal was each his ain work.

He told This Morning: “It wasn’t successful the script, no. It was a interaction of improv.

“We did the bare tennis scene, and everyone’s rather tense due to the fact that determination are each these rules astir who tin look astatine the show and what you tin amusement of your body.

“And I thought, arsenic a mode of possibly breaking the ice, I would bash a bare cartwheel.

“As I was halfway over, I thought, ‘I deliberation I mightiness beryllium cancelled for this. I’ve breached loads of HR rules.’”