Cannonball (British game show)

Cannonball is a British game show, hosted by Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff with Frankie Bridge, Radzi Chinyanganya, Ryan Hand and Maya Jama as poolside reporters, which first aired on 2 September 2017 on ITV. The show features 24 contestants of all ages taking on four games in a bid to win gold, silver and bronze medals. The top three contestants with the most medals go through to the final to play for the Cannonball Cup. Flintoff is the main presenter and narrator, whilst Bridge, Chinyanganya, Hand and Jama are down by the games speaking to the contestants.

Cannonball
GenreGame show
Presented byAndrew Flintoff
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companiesPotato and Talpa
Release
Original networkITV
Original release2 September 2017 (2017-09-02) –
31 December 2024 (2024-12-31)
Related
Australian version
American version

Format

The format for the show is a franchise that originated in the Netherlands by Talpa, which has also been produced in Australia. The British version started filming in Valletta, Malta from late April 2017.[1]

Qualifying rounds
  • Blob: One or two people weighing two and a half times the person's body weight jumps from a tower onto an inflatable blob. The aim is to get as high as possible.[2]
  • Knockout: Contestants roll down a ramp wearing an inflatable ball suit, and they must knock over as many bowling pins as they can.
  • Skimmer: Two contestants at a time go down a 14-meter slide on body boards. The aim is to get the finish line the quickest.
  • Jump: Two contestants at a time go down a 14-meter ramp on body boards. The aim is to achieve the greatest distance in the air.

The Final: Swing to Win

The final is split into three rounds:

  • Round 1: Swing from a 9-meter high podium into a target made up of 150,000 table tennis balls coloured by lights. There are five colours, with each colour getting smaller but representing more points. Purple is worth 1 point, white is worth 2, green is worth 3, blue is worth 4 and yellow is worth 5 points.
  • Round 2: It's the same as before, but this time the bullseye (yellow) is moving across the target.
  • Round 3: It's the same as before, but this time all the coloured circles move around and the yellow bullseye is worth 10 points.

Broadcast history

Series
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
1[3]2 September 201721 October 20178

Specials
DateTitle
24 December 2017Christmas Special
31 December 2017Splash Hits

U.S. version
Main article: Cannonball (American game show)

An American version of Cannonball, simulcast on the USA Network and NBC, premiered on June 29, 2020. It is hosted by WWE wrestler The Miz and former Entertainment Tonight correspondent Rocsi Diaz, with comedian Simon Gibson as the sideline reporter.[4][5][6]

Reception

Sam Wollaston for The Guardian gave it a positive review saying "ITV's new water-park show may lack the sophistication of BBC's Total Wipeout – but when it comes to stripping people of their dignity, it wins hands down."[7]

References
  1. "Freddie Flintoff to host ITV's brand new gameshow Cannonball". ITV Press Centre. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  2. "Cannonball Starts in the Autumn on ITV" (PDF). 25 August 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. "What is ITV's Cannonball? New Freddie Flintoff and Frankie Bridge game show sounds very similar to Total Wipeout". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  4. "WWE Superstar Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin to Host USA Network Competition Series 'Cannonball' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  5. Halterman, Jim (30 June 2020). "Monday TV Ratings: NBC Wins Night, USA's 'Cannonball' Premieres Strong". TV Insider.
  6. "CANNONBALL (USA)". The Futon Critic.
  7. Wollaston, Sam (4 September 2017). "Cannonball review – 'Geordies making a mighty splash? Now, that's what I call Saturday-night telly' | Television & radio". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
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