71 Degrees North

ITV have swung the axe at celebrity reality series 71 Degrees North.

The ITV1 series, which pitted celebrities against both the harsh elements of Scandinavia and each other, will not return or a third season.

Co-host Charlotte Jackson confirmed to The Sun that it will not be returning.

“It’s not coming back,” she said.

“The scenery is spectacular and it was an amazing experience but it’s really tough. I don’t think the celebrities realised just how hard it was. Continue reading »

71 Degrees North finale seen by 2.6m

Rav Wilding’s win on 71 Degrees North was seen by 2.6 million on Tuesday night on ITV1. BBc One’s Death In Paradise easily beat the reality series in the 9pm hour with an audience of 5.38 million.

Acts announced for Children In Need

One Direction, Susan Boyle, JLS and Westlife have all been confirmed to be performing at this year’s Children In Need. The event will be broadcast on BBC One on November 18.

X Factor USA renewed

The X Factor USA has been renewed for a second season by the Fox network. Simon Cowell said in a statement: “I am absolutely thrilled with the news. I have loved making the show and I want to thank Fox, our sponsors and, most importantly, the fans for supporting The X Factor.”  

Steve Jones denies X Factor relationship

X Factor USA host Steve Jones has been forced to  deny rumours he is in a relationship with Nicole Scherzinger, following the judge’s split with English F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

THE FINAL 

It’s the final of 71 Degrees North and just three celebrities have made it to the last leg, Rav Wilding, Amy Williams and Angellica Bell. 

Before they take on the truly terrifying under ice swim after which three will become two, they must survive the night in a snow cave that they must build themselves. It’s a chance to show how much they’ve learnt on the expedition before they make the final push to 71 Degrees North. 

More bad weather hits the celebrities just as they get their snow cave completed. They bed down for the night with a big day ahead. 

The next morning the final three celebrities meet up with Paddy and Charlotte in the middle of a frozen lake. four holes, one metre square, have been cut in the ice on the surface of the lake which is a metre deep. Below the ice is nine metres of freezing cold, dark water. 

One at a time the celebrities must swim between the holes under the ice. The celebrity that swims the shortest distance in the slowest time will lose the challenge and leave the expedition immediately, leaving the final two to go head to head in the last race to the finish. 

Amy swims first but she takes a long time controlling her breathing before she swims from the first to the second hole. At the second hole she takes her time again but she makes it to the third hole. As she’s weighing up whether to go for the fourth hole, her four minutes are up. 

Rav goes next. He’s been the strongest swimmer on the expedition so far. He makes it to the second hole quickly and then goes for the third. He makes it but his eyes are stinging from the freezing water. He spends a long time preparing himself but in the end he can’t go any further and he gives up. But did he make it to the third hole quicker than Amy? 

Last to go is Angellica and she shocks everyone. She was scared of swimming when she started on the expedition but now she’s fired up. She gets in the water and she goes for the second hole. She surfaces and immediately goes for the third. She makes it and then catches her breath before going for the fourth. It’s an incredible effort but as she surfaces at the fourth hole she’s disoriented and has no idea what she has achieved. 

Paddy and Charlotte gather the final three to reveal the result of the under ice swim. Angellica has done better than any other celebrity on both series of 71 Degrees North. She is in the final two. As he swam to the third hole quicker than Amy, Rav will join Angellica in the final race to the finish. Hot favorite Amy is out of the competition. 

Paddy and Charlotte set Rav and Angellica off for the last part of the race. It’s a snow mobile race to a checkpoint where they must melt a block of ice to retrieve a key that will unlock an equipment box containing a harness they’ll need to complete one last obstacle – a rope crossing over a massive 300 meters drop. The first celebrity to get a cross and light a beacon will be declared the winner of 71 Degrees North, but who will race to the finish line first?

Tuesday, 25 October 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

It’s the semi-final and just four celebrities are left on the race to 71 Degrees North. Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding, Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams, TV presenter Angellica Bell and actress Brooke Kinsella. This week one more will be sent home, but which three celebrities will make it to the final? 

As they travel further north they face even tougher conditions and the forecast is for storms and blizzards. The celebrities gather for team selection and meet up with Paddy and Charlotte. As it’s the semi-final the pairings have been decided for the last team challenge. Rav and Angellica will be the red team and Amy and Brooke the blues. 

Charlotte explains the challenge. It starts with a kayak race in the freezing Arctic waters that will take them to a peninsula further north. Once they reach shore they must now trek up into the mountains to a checkpoint where they find an equipment box. Inside the box is their overnight camp equipment and a rope and harnesses. Each team must tie themselves together for the rest of the trek. The celebrities are heading higher into the mountains and with a storm brewing they must stay connected until they reach camp so they don’t lose each other in whiteout conditions. When they make it to camp they must put up their tents, but the team who got to shore first in the first part of the challenge will win luxury supplies at overnight camp and the trailing team must make do with basic rations. 

Overnight camp is hit by more bad weather and the following morning the celebrities wake up in freezing cold conditions. The first team to strike camp can head off to the final stage of the team challenge, an epic dog sled race. It’s a punishing course but which team will be able to keep control of their huskies and survive the blizzard to win the race and be rewarded a night in the warmth and a video call from their loved ones?

The next morning the celebrities are reunited for the last immunity challenge. It’s called Hell Drop and it takes place on the edge of the largest canyon in Northern Europe. Paddy and Charlotte explain the challenge. A metal rescue frame has been erected on the very edge of a 300 metre sheer drop. The device is used to rescue climbers who have fallen into inaccessible places. But today a small, wire climbing ladder has been attached to the top of the frame. One by one the celebrities must climb to the top of the ladder and wait to be lowered into position. The frame swings the celebrities out and over the sheer drop. As they dangle at the top of the ladder there is nothing beneath them – it is a truly terrifying challenge. They must then descend the ladder touching flags as they go. Once they’ve touched the flag at the very bottom of the ladder they must climb back up to the top. The celebrity that completes the challenge in the quickest time will win immunity and secure their place in the final of 71 Degrees North. 

The celebrities enter the voting tent one at a time and write down the name of the person they think should leave. 

Paddy and Charlotte meet the celebrities in base camp to reveal the result of the vote, but who will be in the final of 71 Degrees North? 

Tuesday, 18 October 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

Only five celebrities remain on the expedition. The celebrities gather and meet Paddy and Charlotte for team selection. Brooke won the last immunity challenge so she leads the red team and since Richard is the only one who hasn’t been a team leader he will lead the blues and he is first to pick. Richard chooses Amy and Brooke picks Rav. Richard is given the option to pass on Angellica but he decides to keep her on his team. 

This week’s team challenge is a case of tortoise versus hare. First the teams must cross a huge ravine by a rope web. Then they must trek to a checkpoint where they will be faced with a decision, to continue on a short route by cross country skis or a long route by snow mobile. Who will get to the finish line first and win a night in the world famous Ice Hotel? 

The next day the celebrities are reunited for the next immunity challenge. Paddy and Charlotte introduce the Arctic assault course. The celebrities must ice climb a frozen waterfall collecting letters along the way, descend on a zip wire and then solve the simple Arctic anagram to release a claxon to signal they’ve finished the course. 

Angellica sets the time to beat. Brooke struggles and is nowhere near the leader board and Richard gives up half way through the ice climb. So it’s between the favorites Rav and Amy, but who has done it in the fastest time and will win immunity? 

The celebrities enter the voting tent one at a time and write down the name of the person they think should leave in their expedition journals. Paddy and Charlotte meet the celebrities in base camp to reveal the result of the vote. The celebrity with the most votes will be sent home tonight.

Tuesday, 11 October 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

Six celebrities remain on the expedition but there are only five waking up at base camp. Somebody has been taken to the expedition medic to be checked out. The celebrities gather and meet Paddy and Charlotte to hear the news. Unfortunately, the medic has ruled that due to the nature of their injury they have to leave the expedition. 

Paddy reveals the rules state that after the halfway point of the expedition if any celebrity is ruled out due to injury they are replaced by the last person to leave. So to everyone’s shock, football legend John Barnes rejoins the celebrities. It’s an awkward moment as those that voted for John will have to work with him again. 

With John back in the fold, it’s time for the next team selection. Brooke will lead the red team, Angellica will lead the blues. Brooke picks Rav and John and Angellica picks Amy and Richard. With the team’s chosen it’s time to reveal this week’s team challenge. 

Paddy tells the celebrities to look across a valley to a sheer rock face 100 metres high. Dangling from the rock face are four portaledge tents. These tents, used by professional mountaineers, are used to scale sheer rock faces and hang from a single rope. The celebrities will spend the worst night sleep of their lives in these terrifying tents. But first they must trek to the base of the cliff and then relay race up to the tents. They will climb the rock face using the jumar technique. They will have to lift their own body weight up a single rope, but which team will be first to their tents and be awarded luxary food supplies for that evening? 

In the night temperatures drop and the wind picks up. Everyone is freezing cold but John Barnes can’t take it. He insists on being taken down from the tent and the safety team looks after him in a tent at the base. 

The next morning Brooke and Rav are wondering what’s happened to John as they wake in the scariest B&B on the planet. Both teams climb to the top of the cliff where the red team is reunited. John has been checked out and warmed up. He is ok and determined to help Brooke win the night in the warmth. 

For the second part of the team challenge the celebrities must cross a ravine by a zip wire picking up flags along the way, but which team will have to spend another night under canvas? 

The next day the celebrities are reunited on the banks of a frozen river for the next immunity challenge. Paddy and Charlotte reveal that today they are going reindeer racing. 

There’s a boys heat which eliminates John and a girls heat that eliminates Amy, but who will make it through to the final and win immunity? 

The celebrities enter the voting tent one at a time and write down the name of the person they think should leave in their expedition journals. Paddy and Charlotte meet the celebrities in base camp to reveal who will be sent home that evening.

Tuesday, 4 October 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

Seven celebrities remain on the expedition and their 4×4 all terrain vehicles leave base camp for team selection, but there’s a surprise in store. The last vehicle containing Amy and Rav peels away from the rest of the convoy. Charlotte meets them and says they’ve been separated for the team challenge. She tells them they will be the team leaders, Amy will lead the reds and Rav will lead the blues. 

The other five celebrities are driven 20km further along the valley where Paddy is waiting. He informs them that team selection will be done via satellite phone. 

Amy picks first and chooses Angellica and Charlie. Rav chooses Brooke and Richard. John Barnes is last to be picked and it’s up to Amy whether she takes him or not. Knowing that he struggled on the last leg of the expedition Amy passes on John who has to join the blue team. 

Paddy explains that the team reward is letters from home. With all the celebrities missing loved ones it’s a prize worth fighting for. 

It’s time for the team challenge to begin. Charlotte locks Rav and Amy into identical cabins next door to each other and there they find a map and a satellite phone. They must issue directions to their team mates over the phone to help them find their way back to the cabin. On the way the teams must pick up co-ordinates that will help them find equipment boxes where they must retrieve a key. The first team to find the cabin and release their team leader wins. 

The next morning the celebrities are re-united on the surface of a frozen lake for the next immunity challenge which is the ice plunge. 

Paddy and Charlotte explain that this is a challenge straight out of the commando Arctic training manual. In a timed race, going one at a time, the celebrities must jump into a hole cut in the ice, fully clothed. They must tread water for a minute, then haul themselves out and then take off their wet clothes before running to the warming tent. The celebrity that does it in the fastest time will win immunity and secure their place on the next leg of the expedition. 

The celebrities enter the voting tent one at a time and write down the name of the person they think should leave. 

Paddy and Charlotte meet the celebrities in base camp to reveal the result of the vote.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

Only six celebrities wake at base camp as last week Martin Kemp picked up an injury. Overnight, Martin’s injury hasn’t got better and this morning he meets the expedition doctor. The doctor explains there’s a chance of doing further damage if he continues on the expedition and so Martin will no longer play a part. He is devastated and sheds a tear. His final task is to tell the other celebrities that he’s leaving. In an emotional scene, Martin leaves and the others are left disappointed and wondering what will happen next. Since Sean Maguire decided he’d had enough and left during the last leg of the expedition, they are now two men down with Rav as the sole surviving male competitor. 

The celebrities gather to meet Paddy and Charlotte for team selection. Since Martin and Sean left unexpectedly, replacements have been drafted in and the new blood is on its way. 

As she won the immunity challenge last week, Olympic gold medalist Amy William is the first team leader, she’ll lead the reds. The group choose Lisa Maxwell to lead the blues. 

For this week’s team challenge, the celebrities head further north and have to scale a nearby mountain. Each team must employ a technique used by mountaineers to speed their ascent. They must choose a team member to wait at each of the three stations, allowing the remaining team members to make a quicker climb to the summit. Each “sacrificed” team member must dig a snow grave, the very simplest form of protection from the Arctic conditions. 

Once the final team member has reached the summit they will find a satellite phone and a number. They must contact the team member at station 1 and give them the number. They, in turn, will hike up to the second station and pass the number to the second team mate who must use it to open an equipment box. They’ll find a pair of bolt cutters in the box that they, along with their team mate, must take up to station 3 where the third team mate must use the bolt cutters to open another equipment box containing four emergency flares, one for each team member. All the team members most reunite at the summit and the first team to light all their flares wins. The winning team will be whisked off to a night of luxury and hot tubs in a warm log cabin, but the losing team must spend the night on the mountain in snow graves. 

The next morning the teams are reunited at the top of a steep snowy hill for the next immunity challenge, a toboggan race. There are no rules and anything goes. The celebrities have to race in heats but who will win immunity and secure their place on the expedition. 

The celebrities enter the voting tent one at a time and write down the name of the person they think should leave in their expedition journals. 

As night falls, it’s time for the vote. Each celebrity must write down one name in their expedition journals. The celebrity with the most votes will be sent home tonight. 

Paddy and Charlotte arrive in camp and reveal who will be the third celebrity to be sent home by the group.

Merlin to premiere after Doctor Who

The BBC has confirmed that the season premiere of Merlin and the season finale of Doctor Who will screen on the same night. Both shows will screen on October 1, starting with Doctor Who at 7.05pm.

Bill Bailey to feature in Doctor Who special

Bill Bailey will feature in the Doctor Who Christmas special later this year The actor and comedian will join Outnumbered actress Claire Skinner among others in the annual special.

Ramsay to feature in another reality series

Another Gordon Ramsay reality show has been picked up in the US. Hotel Hell will involve Ramsay travelling around the country attempting to turn around struggling hotels and motels.

The Body Farm beats 71 Degrees North

BBC One’s The Body Farm proved too strong for ITV1 series 71 degrees North on Tuesday night, pulling 4.75m compared to the reality show’s 2.6m.

Tuesday, 20 September 2011, 9:00PM – 10:00PM

The nine remaining celebrities wake at base camp. They’ve endured their coldest night yet with the temperature dropping to minus 15 degrees. 

Paddy and Charlotte arrive for this week’s team selection. As he won the immunity challenge last week, Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding is the first team leader, he’ll lead the reds. The group choose Olympic Gold Medallist Amy Williams to lead the blues. 

Rav picks Martin Kemp, Sean Maguire, Charlie Dimmock and Brooke Kinsella. Amy picks John Thomson, Angellica Bell and Lisa Maxwell. 

As they head further north, the teams board an Arctic trawler that transports them to a remote bay. The only way to shore is to jump from the deck of the trawler into the icy Arctic waters below. Kitted out in immersion suits the celebrities must walk the plank one at a time and make a terrifying jump of over 8 metres into the sea. Then they must swim to shore as quickly as they can. Since the teams are uneven it will be the quickest average time to shore but which team will win a luxury food package in camp tonight? 

The next morning both teams must trek to the top of a mountain. When the teams arrive at the summit they find a mystery box. They must abseil face first down a sheer cliff face, taking the mystery box with them. Once their team is at the bottom of the cliff it’s a long trek through deep snow to the finish line. Paddy and Charlotte meet them at the finish, but which team will be first to finish and spend the night in a luxury lodge? 

The celebrities are reunited for the next immunity challenge. In the immunity challenge one of them will guarantee their place on the expedition. The challenge is called Hangover. The celebrities must dangle from ropes attached to the underside of a bridge towering 80 metres above a massive canyon. Climbing over the edge of the bridge is terrifying and they must hang on for as long as they can. When they can’t hold on any longer it’s a heart-stopping moment as they freefall 3 metres before the safety rope kicks in. They go in heats and Brooke, Lisa and Rav go first and then Amy goes up against John and in the last heat Angellica takes on Charlie. After the three heats there will be three celebrities in the final but who can prove they are the strongest by hanging on the longest, and win immunity and secure their place on the expedition 

As night falls, it’s time for the vote. Each celebrity must write down one name in their expedition journals. The celebrity with the most votes will be sent home tonight. 

Paddy and Charlotte arrive in camp and reveal who will be the second celebrity to be sent home by the group.