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| The Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality sports game show |
| Presented by | Jamie Theakston (2003–2006) Holly Willoughby (2022) Freddie Flintoff (2022) |
| Starring | Jayne Middlemiss (2003–2005) Kirsty Gallacher (2006) Alex Scott (2022) Yung Filly (2022) |
| Voices of | David Goldstrom (2003–2006) Simon Brotherton (2022) Chris Kamara (2022) |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production companies | Endemol UK Productions (2003–2005) Initial (2006, 2022) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 (2003–2006) ITV (2022) |
| Release | 7 September 2003 – 13 May 2022 |
The Games is a British reality sports game show that ran on Channel 4 for four series, in which 10 celebrities competed against each other, by doing Olympic-style events, such as weight lifting, gymnastics and diving. At the end of the series, the contestants with the most points from each round were awarded either a gold, silver or bronze medal.
The series was revived by ITV in May 2022, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff.[1]
The show was mainly filmed in Sheffield, at the Sheffield Arena, Don Valley Stadium and Ponds Forge. In later series, the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield, iceSheffield and in series 4 the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham were used for the first time. Most recently the show has been broadcast from the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in south London.
The Games was presented by Jamie Theakston for the entirety of its run, with track-side reports from Jayne Middlemiss in series 1–3 and Kirsty Gallacher in series 4. David Goldstrom was the commentator for the events.
For the 2022 revival series, it is presented by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, with Simon Brotherton taking over as commentator with Chris Kamara by his side.
| Person | Original | Revived | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Presenters | ||||||
| Jamie Theakston | Main | |||||
| Holly Willoughby | — | Main | ||||
| Freddie Flintoff | — | Main | ||||
| Track–side reports | ||||||
| Jayne Middlemiss | Main | |||||
| Kirsty Gallacher | — | Main | ||||
| Alex Scott | — | Main | ||||
| Commentators | ||||||
| David Goldstrom | Recurring | |||||
| Simon Brotherton | — | Main | ||||
| Chris Kamara | — | Main | ||||
The Games also had an after-show called The Games: Live at Trackside, aired on Channel 4's sister channel E4. The first series was presented by Dougie Anderson, whilst the second was hosted by Gamezville presenters Darren Malcolm and Jamie Atiko. Justin Lee Collins and Caroline Flack took over as presenters for the third and fourth series. For the final series an extra one-hour show was added on E4 in the afternoon called The Games: Live at the Heats, and the evening after-show changed title to become The Games: Inside Track.
| Series | Female | Male | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winner |  Azra Akın and Terri Dwyer
|
Harvey
|
| Runner-up |  James Hewitt
| ||
| Third place |  Josie d'Arby
|
Lee Latchford-Evans
| |
| 2 | Winner | Lady Isabella Hervey
|
Shane Lynch and Jarrod Batchelor
|
| Runner-up | Katy Hill
| ||
| Third place | Charlie Dimmock
|
Romeo
| |
| 3 | Winner | Kirsty Gallacher
|
Philip Olivier
|
| Runner-up | Tamara Czartoryska
|
Kevin Simm
| |
| Third place | Lisa Maffia
|
Chesney Hawkes
| |
| 4 | Winner | Javine Hylton
|
Jade Jones
|
| Runner-up | Julia Goldsworthy
|
Marcel Somerville
| |
| Third place | Michelle Gayle
|
JK
| |
| 5 | Winner | Chelcee Grimes
|
Wes Nelson
|
| Runner-up | Phoenix Gulzar-Brown
|
Ryan Thomas
| |
| Third place | Rebecca Sarker
|
Josh Herdman
| |
The first series aired in 2003 and the celebrities that took part were:[2]
| Celebrity | Known for | Medal achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Azra Akın | Former Miss World |
|
| Terri Dwyer | Hollyoaks actress |
|
| MC Harvey | So Solid Crew rapper |
|
| James Hewitt | Ex-lover of Diana, Princess of Wales |
|
| Josie d'Arby | Television presenter |
|
| Lee Latchford-Evans | Steps singer |
|
| Bobby Davro | Comedian | |
| Jean-Christophe Novelli | Chef | |
| Melanie C | Spice Girls singer | Withdrew |
| Gail Porter | Television presenter | Withdrew |
Porter pulled out part-way through the run. A serious knee injury sustained in the judo competition against Akın also forced Chisholm to withdraw.[3]
The second series aired in 2004 and the celebrities that took part were:[4]
| Celebrity | Known for | Medal achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Lady Isabella Hervey | Model & socialite |
|
| Jarrod Bachelor | Former Mr Gay UK |
|
| Shane Lynch | Boyzone singer |
|
| Katy Hill | Television presenter |
|
| MC Romeo | So Solid Crew rapper |
|
| Charlie Dimmock | Gardening expert & television presenter |
|
| Charles Ingram | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? cheat | |
| Linda Lusardi | Former model & actress | |
| Jodie Marsh | Model | |
| Pat Sharp | Television & radio presenter |
After the second series a special champion of champions edition, took place in which the top two male and female competitors from series one and two went head to head to compete for the title, The Games Champion of Champions. Eventually the team from 2003 won. They comprised MC Harvey, James Hewitt, Terri Dwyer and Josie d'Arby (Azra Akın was unavailable to take part).
The third series commenced on 25 March 2005 and the celebrities that took part were:[5][6]
| Celebrity | Known for | Medal achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Kirsty Gallacher | Television presenter |
|
| Philip Olivier | Actor |
|
| Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon | Model |
|
| Kevin Simm | Liberty X singer |
|
| Chesney Hawkes | Singer |
|
| Lisa Maffia | So Solid Crew member & model |
|
| Craig Charles | Red Dwarf actor & comedian | |
| Anna Walker | Television presenter | |
| Mel Giedroyc | Comedian | |
| Danny Foster | Former Hear'Say singer | |
| Jonathon Morris | Actor | Withdrew |
Morris pulled out half-way through the run, and was replaced by Foster.
Injuries also forced Kevin Simm out of the Sumo competition, and Craig Charles out of the speed skating and vaulting competitions.[7]
After the third series, another special champion of champions edition took place in which the top two male and female competitors from Team 2003, Team 2004 and Team 2005 competed against each other in weightlifting, hammer throwing and finally the relay race. From Team 2003, James Hewitt, Harvey, Terri Dwyer and Josie D'Arby competed. From Team 2004, Romeo, Jarrod Batchelor, Katy Hill and Lady Isabella Hervey competed. From Team 2005, Kevin Simm, Philip Olivier, Lisa Maffia and Kirsty Gallacher, competed. Team 2005 narrowly beat the team from the first series overall.[8]
The fourth series commenced on 17 March 2006, and was presented as usual by Jamie Theakston, and track-side coverage was taken over by Series Three contestant Kirsty Gallacher. There was a total of 18 different sporting events to test their skills and abilities. The men competed in water ski jump, weights, Kendo, vault, diving, speed skating, cycling, javelin and 100m sprint. The women competed in whitewater kayak, hurdles, cycling, gym floor, swimming, curling, archery, hammer and 100m sprint.[9]
Contestants that took part in the show were:
| Celebrity | Known for | Medal achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Jade Jones | Damage singer |
|
| Javine Hylton | Singer |
|
| Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne MP |
|
| Marcel Somerville | Blazin' Squad rapper |
|
| Michelle Gayle | Singer & actress |
|
| Jason King | Radio presenter |
|
| Peter Duncan | Actor & television presenter | |
| Amanda Lamb | A Place in the Sun presenter | |
| Adam Rickitt | Former Coronation Street actor & singer | |
| Bernie Nolan | Former The Nolans singer |
Darren Day was among the original line-up, but after consistently failing to take part in training, he was replaced by eventual winner Jones. DJ Goldie was originally a competitor, but was forced to pull out due to an injury sustained in the training sessions for the water-ski event. He was replaced by Rickitt.[10]
| Discipline | Amanda | Bernie | Javine | Julia | Michelle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater kayak | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Hurdles | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Cycling | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Gym floor | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Swimming | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Curling | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Archery | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Hammer | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 100m sprint | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Total | 19 | 16 | 45 | 36 | 25 |
| Discipline | Peter | Adam | Jason | Jade | Marcel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water ski jump | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Weights | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Kendo | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Vault | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Diving | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Speed skating | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Cycling | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Javelin | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| 100m sprint | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Total | 29 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 34 |
After the fourth series another special champion of champions edition took place in which the top two male and female competitors from series two, three and four competed against each other in a 50 m freestyle swim, diving and a 4 x 50 m freestyle relay at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.
Javine Hylton, Julia Goldsworthy MP, Jade Jones and MC Plat'num represented Team 2006, Kirsty Gallacher, Chesney Hawkes, Kevin Simm and HRH Princess Tamara represented Team 2005, and Lady Isabella Hervey, Linda Lusardi, Shane Lynch and Romeo represented Team 2004.
Team 2006 won the champion of champions 2006, scoring 29 points. The team of 2005 came second with 23. Finally team 2004 with 20. This Champion of Champions saw Shane Lynch achieve a dive which had never been performed on The Games before – a somersault. The trophy for the winners was presented to Team 2004, by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Roger Davison.[11]
The series was originally commissioned for 2020 as The Real Games, and then for 2021,[12] but both times were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. In October 2021, it was confirmed that the series would air in 2022.[13]
| Celebrity | Known for | Medal achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Wes Nelson | Singer & television personality |
|
| Chelcee Grimes | Singer, presenter & footballer |
|
| Ryan Thomas | Former Coronation Street actor |
|
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | Model & Mel B's daughter |
|
| Josh Herdman | Harry Potter actor & mixed martial artist |
|
| Rebecca Sarker | Emmerdale actress |
|
| Lucrezia Millarini | ITV News newsreader | 7th
|
| Kevin Clifton | Former Strictly Come Dancing professional | 8th
|
| Christine McGuinness | Model & The Real Housewives of Cheshire star | 9th
|
| Max George | The Wanted singer | 10th
|
| Olivia Attwood | Television personality | 11th
|
| Colson Smith | Coronation Street actor | 12th
|
| Discipline | Chelcee | Christine | Lucrezia | Olivia | Phoenix | Rebecca |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100m hurdles | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Synchronised diving | 5 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 50m breast stroke | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Javelin throw | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 400m race | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Keirin | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Speed climbing | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| Weightlifting | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 100m race | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Total | 42 | 27 | 32 | 21 | 35 | 33 |
| Discipline | Colson | Josh | Kevin | Max | Ryan | Wes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammer throw | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| 400m race | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 50m freestyle | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Synchronised diving | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Canoe slalom | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 110m hurdles | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Speed climbing | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Elimination race | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 100m race | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Total | 18 | 38 | 28 | 23 | 39 | 45 |
| Celebrity | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Chelcee Grimes | 1st | 6 |
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 2nd | 5 |
| Rebecca Sarker | 3rd | 4 |
| Christine McGuinness | 4th | 3 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 5th | 2 |
| Olivia Attwood | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | First throw | Second throw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Thomas | 27.00m | 28.91m | 6 |
| Kevin Clifton | 26.07m | No throw | 5 |
| Wes Nelson | No throw | 25.57m | 4 |
| Colson Smith | 20.04m | No throw | 3 |
| Josh Herdman | No throw | No throw | 2 |
| Max George | No throw | No throw | 2 |
| Celebrity | First dive | Second dive | Total | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucrezia Millarini | 52.50 | 49.50 | 102.00 | 6 |
| Wes Nelson | ||||
| Chelcee Grimes | 39.00 | 52.00 | 91.00 | 5 |
| Ryan Thomas | ||||
| Olivia Attwood | 33.00 | 39.00 | 72.00 | 4 |
| Kevin Clifton | ||||
| Christine McGuinness | 36.00 | 33.00 | 69.00 | 3 |
| Josh Herdman | ||||
| Rebecca Sarker | 33.00 | 36.00 | 69.00 | 3 |
| Colson Smith | ||||
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 27.75 | 40.50 | 68.25 | 1 |
| Max George |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Nelson | 57.58 | 1st | 6 |
| Josh Herdman | 58.35 | 2nd | 5 |
| Kevin Clifton | 1:02.04 | 3rd | 4 |
| Colson Smith | 1:05.18 | 4th | 3 |
| Ryan Thomas | 1:07.86 | 5th | 2 |
| Max George | 1:16.55 | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Nelson | 32.92 | 1st | 6 |
| Max George | 34.04 | 2nd | 5 |
| Josh Herdman | 35.15 | 3rd | 4 |
| Ryan Thomas | 35.52 | 4th | 3 |
| Kevin Clifton | 42.00 | 5th | 2 |
| Colson Smith | 47.71 | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Thomas | 79.87 | 1st | 6 |
| Kevin Clifton | 109.90 | 2nd | 5 |
| Josh Herdman | 115.14 | 3rd | 4 |
| Max George | 119.90 | 4th | 3 |
| Wes Nelson | 142.04 | 5th | 2 |
| Colson Smith | 191.85 | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia Attwood | 51.67 | 1st | 6 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 52.57 | 2nd | 5 |
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 57.48 | 3rd | 4 |
| Chelcee Grimes | 57.73 | 4th | 3 |
| Christine McGuinness | 1:16.63 | 5th | 2 |
| Rebecca Sarker | 1:24.71 | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Wes Nelson | 1st | 6 |
| Josh Herdman | 2nd | 5 |
| Max George | 3rd | 4 |
| Ryan Thomas | 4th | 3 |
| Kevin Clifton | 5th | 2 |
| Colson Smith | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | First throw | Second throw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | No throw | 22.46m | 6 |
| Christine McGuinness | No throw | 20.05m | 5 |
| Rebecca Sarker | 13.41m | 16.71m | 4 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 14.68m | No throw | 3 |
| Chelcee Grimes | No throw | 13.87m | 2 |
| Olivia Attwood | 10.79m | 11.38m | 1 |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelcee Grimes | 1:06.76 | 1st | 6 |
| Rebecca Sarker | 1:12.97 | 2nd | 5 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 1:13.43 | 3rd | 4 |
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 1:15.90 | 4th | 3 |
| Olivia Attwood | 1:16.37 | 5th | 2 |
| Christine McGuinness | 1:33.02 | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Chelcee Grimes | 1st | 6 |
| Christine McGuinness | 2nd | 5 |
| Rebecca Sarker | 3rd | 4 |
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 4th | 3 |
| Olivia Attwood | 5th | 2 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 6th | 1 |
| Battle | Celebrity | Time | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wes Nelson | 15.70 | Winner | — |
| Kevin Clifton | 37.06 | Loser | 2 | |
| 2 | Josh Herdman | 24.90 | Winner | — |
| Colson Smith | 46.62 | Loser | 1 | |
| 3 | Max George | 22.99 | Winner | — |
| Ryan Thomas | 23.79 | Loser |
| Battle | Celebrity | Time | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wes Nelson | 16.08 | Winner | — |
| Ryan Thomas | 17.96 | Loser | 4 | |
| 2 | Josh Herdman | 21.36 | Winner | — |
| Max George | Timeout | Loser | 3 |
| Order | Celebrity | Time | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wes Nelson | 14.27 | Winner | 6 |
| Josh Herdman | 14.90 | Loser | 5 |
| Celebrity | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Thomas | 1st | 6 |
| Josh Herdman | 2nd | 5 |
| Colson Smith | 3rd | 4 |
| Wes Nelson | 4th | 3 |
| Kevin Clifton | 5th | 2 |
| Max George | 6th | 1 |
| Battle | Celebrity | Time | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix-Gulzar Brown | 26.74 | Winner | — |
| Lucrezia Millarini | — | Loser | ||
| 2 | Chelcee Grimes | 37.10 | Winner | |
| Christine McGuinness | — | Loser | ||
| 3 | Rebecca Sarker | Timeout | Loser | 2 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | Timeout | Loser | — |
| Battle | Celebrity | Time | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 25.75 | Winner | — |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 35.18 | Loser | 4 | |
| 2 | Chelcee Grimes | 29.01 | Winner | — |
| Christine McGuinness | 46.44 | Loser | 3 |
| Order | Celebrity | Time | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 23.84 | Winner | 6 |
| Chelcee Grimes | 25.09 | Loser | 5 |
| Celebrity | Best lift | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Sarker | 58.80 | 6 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 55.81 | 5 |
| Christine McGuinness | 55.08 | 4 |
| Chelcee Grimes | 54.33 | 3 |
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 46.94 | 2 |
| Olivia Attwood | 41.97 | 1 |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelcee Grimes | 13.94 | 1st | 6 |
| Phoenix Gulzar-Brown | 14.90 | 2nd | 5 |
| Rebecca Sarker | 15.30 | 3rd | 4 |
| Olivia Attwood | 15.43 | 4th | 3 |
| Lucrezia Millarini | 15.58 | 5th | 2 |
| Christine McGuinness | 15.67 | 6th | 1 |
| Celebrity | Time | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Nelson | 12.08 | 1st | 6 |
| Josh Herdman | 12.67 | 2nd | 5 |
| Ryan Thomas | 13.21 | 3rd | 4 |
| Max George | 13.41 | 4th | 3 |
| Kevin Clifton | 13.57 | 5th | 2 |
| Colson Smith | 14.85 | 6th | 1 |
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