Survivor (British series 3)

Following the Banijay Group's acquisition of Castaway Productions, who own the Survivor format, it was said in 2017 that the company were looking to revive Survivor in the UK. Banijay's CEO Peter Langenberg spoke to Broadcast about the potential return, stating that RDF, the largest UK production company within Banijay, is attempting to rekindle interest in the format amongst broadcasters. He explained: "Having hands on the format means we can polish it and come up with Survivor 2.0, because it needs a refresh".[6] When casting, thousands from around the UK were in consideration but it was narrowed down to 18 for the final cast of the season.[7]

Reports began circulating again in 2022 that the series would be revived, this time with BBC One said to be the potential new home of the series. Broadcast reported that the revival deal for Survivor is "on the brink", and that if the deal is finalised, the third series of the programme will be filmed in 2023 with thirteen episodes.[8] Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly put forward his hopes for a revival of the programme. He felt that the key reasons for the series' initial failure lay with having a pre-recorded format which meant that viewers had no say into the events of the series. However, Kilkelly opined that the success of The Apprentice and The Great British Bake Off, both of which use pre-recorded formats, suggested that the British audience would now be ready to support a Survivor format. In September 2022, it was confirmed that Remarkable Entertainment (a subsidiary of Banijay) would produce a new series and would air on BBC One in 2023 consisting of 16 episodes.[9][10] Contestant applications opened on 24 November. With the announcement of the application process, the prize of £100,000 was revealed.[11][12] On 17 February 2023, Joel Dommett was confirmed as host of the revival, which he was excited about, stating "I’m the new host of the UK’s Survivor! I can't believe it! A huge thank you to the BBC for trusting me with this".[1][13] and "Anyone who knows the Survivor format already will know they're in for an absolute treat, and if you don't then I’m confident you’re going to love it."[14]

The cast of Survivor 2023

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Front row (from left to right): Rach, Sabrina, Pegleg, Hannah, Host Joel Dommett, Leilani, Rachel, Tinuke, Shai.

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Back row (from left to right): Lee, Ashleigh, Ren, Christopher, Doug, Richard, Jess, Nathan, Laurence, Matthew.

The season's cast was composed of 18 players from around the United Kingdom, divided into two tribes; La Nena and Caletón, both named after beaches in the Dominican Republic.[5] Notable figures on the cast include footballer Hannah Baptiste, boxer Lee Reeves, and surfing instructor Rick[15] "Pegleg" Bennett.

Notes