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Kelly Holmes, Roger Black and Darren Campbell to lead teams as cult sports television contest starts filming for Channel Five
KELLY HOLMES, Roger Black and Darren Campbell will join rower Steve Redgrave as captains of teams in a new series of Superstars this summer.
The television channel Five has brought back the iconic programme and it will air in eight one-hour episodes.
In a new twist on the original Seventies series, instead of competing as individuals the leading sportsmen and women will instead be split into four teams.
Former Premier League football referee Graham Poll will be in charge of officiating the various events.
Each team will comprise of three men and one woman. The teams will include footballers Lee Sharpe and Roberto Di Matteo, cricketer Graham Thorpe, 400m runner Iwan Thomas, swimmers Mark Foster and Karen Pickering, boxer Jane Couch, rugby stars Mike Catt and Austin Healey, cyclist Chris Boardman, skier Alain Baxter and bob skeleton Olympic medallist Shelley Rudman.
Many of these sportspeople were in the contest the last time it was shown on BBC.
The four teams will compete in a round robin or mini-league format. After they have played each other, the two top teams will contest the final.
Each of the captains will be competing against the other for the right to choose the ‘first pick’ of the other competitors. Then team ‘seconds’ compete against each other for next pick, and so on, until everyone joins a team.
Many of the original disciplines will play a part in the new Superstars and there will also be some new events.
They will include favourites like the famous ‘gym tests’ , including squats and dips, 100m sprint, 50m swim, tug 'o war and soccer. New to the competition are indoor speed climbing, pool kayak and diving.
The venue is the K2 Arena in Crawley.
Robert Charles, Five’s Controller of Sport, said: “Superstars has a unique place in TV history and we are delighted to be able to being the concept back to the screens, albeit as a team event which we think will make great viewing as the different personalities come to life over the eight programmes.”
He added: “The athletes that we’ve managed to attract are from the very top of their respective sports so you can bet on it being compelling television and very, very competitive."
Superstars first came to television in the UK in 1973 and ran for 12 years on the BBC. But this latest series will be produced by TWI, a division of IMG Media.
Anyone who would like to see the Superstars in action and be part of our studio audience is asked to contact the K2 Arena in Crawley on 01293 585300 or visit www.dcleisure.co.uk for a timetable of events.
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