TV show HANDCUFFS strangers together for £100,000 - how to take part
Jonathan Ross returns to Channel 4 to run this daring and ultimately heart-warming social experiment
A famous phrase says 'hell is other people' – can eight pairs of strangers survive being handcuffed to one another for weeks? Will they learn to love one another?
Channel 4 has commissioned Handcuffed from 72 Films, a Fremantle Company – takes eight pairs of strangers with completely opposed opinions, beliefs, lifestyles, and bad habits, and handcuffs them together 24/7 in the ultimate test of survival.
The couples will be handcuffed together through thick and thin, as they navigate eating, dressing and even sleeping just inches apart.
READ MORE:
Shackled around the clock, the pairs will be sent on a road trip across our beautiful nation, in the hope they find common ground along the way.
If a pair can last longest chained together, they'll be in the running for a £100,000 jackpot – but if it proves too much and they demand to be unchained, their shot at the jackpot is gone.
Drawn from across the UK, the couples will represent the wide range of views and opinions found in modern Britain.
Will the chance to win a huge cash prize drive them to stay together whatever, or will their massive differences lead them to quit?
This timely experiment will be overseen by mastermind Jonathan Ross, who'll pair up the couples and guide them on their path to reconciliation. The series marks the host's return to Channel 4, having started his career presenting The Last Resort on the Channel in 1987.
If you think you could survive being handcuffed to a stranger, in return for a possible share of the £100,000 prize fund, applications are open now.
Jonathan Ross said: 'I believe this experiment will go a small way to healing a fractured Britain; after all, to know is to love. I'm rooting for our couples to go the distance and not let our differences overpower us.'
Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor, says: 'Funny, intense, and featuring a cast reflecting a truly diverse range of British characters, this is the kind of social experiment you'd only see on Channel 4. The series aims capture modern Britain by examining its divisions and hopefully helping mend some of them too.'
David Glover, Executive Producer, says: 'The show is designed to both to be funny and to have a surprising amount of heart. The winners will have to be able to put their differences aside and get along.'
Handcuffed is a 6x60', commissioned by Tim Hancock for Channel 4. The Executive Producers for 72 Films are David Glover, Tim Whitwell and Tom Clarke, series editor Ben Allen and Production Exec Alex Nicholson.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Gut feeling more important than social media likes', says festival promoter
A leading music festival promoter has said 'gut feeling' is more than important than social media likes when booking headline acts. John Giddings, who has run the Isle of Wight Festival since it restarted in 2002, said performers need to be able to 'deliver' to a crowd and not just keep their attention on a phone screen. The 72-year-old, who represents artists ranging from Blondie to Phil Collins, told the PA news agency: 'It's gut feeling, really. I've learned the hard way in my years in the music business that some people might have sold a lot of records, but they're useless when it comes to performing. 'You want to book acts that have a catalogue that's going to entertain an audience for an hour, hour and a half, and, secondly, someone who's capable of performing to an audience of 50,000 people in a field, because they need to be able to project to entertain. 'When you look back on who we've had – Blur, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, the (Rolling) Stones – they're all capable of delivering, even if it's pouring with rain, which it doesn't that much on the Isle of Wight, thank God. 'But you've got to be prepared for everything and it's quality of performance, really. 'I do know artists who've had a million views on TikTok who can't sell 300 tickets at a club in London. Just because all these people want to watch them on socials doesn't mean they're going to pay money to go and see them in a field.' Mr Giddings – who also manages through his Solo music agency touring shows for some of the world's biggest names such as Madonna, U2 and Beyonce – said that as well as classic acts, he needs to keep an eye on the breakthrough bands. He said: 'Because I'm older, we book acts from past, present and future, there's a discussion in the office as to what new bands are coming up, and you're projecting as to what they're going to be doing in the year's or nine months' time. 'I'll never forget when I booked The Darkness when they first started out, they were supporting someone at Brixton Academy, and I went down there, and I walked in, and Justin (Hawkins) was sitting on the shoulders of his roadie, walking through the audience, playing the lead solo. 'I thought, 'blimey, this is the music I grew up on', and then they came and played the Isle of Wight and blew everyone away.' Mr Giddings said he was always on the lookout for new acts, adding: 'If the truck driver comes up with a good idea and it's a better idea than mine, then go for it, you can't be that arrogant to just believe what you think yourself. 'We've got 15 stages on the Isle of Wight, so whatever stage you're at in your career, you can play one of those stages.' Mr Giddings said one of his highlights from the Isle of Wight Festival was Jay Z and added: 'I remember thinking 50,000 people couldn't go wilder, and then Kanye West walked on with them and it exploded, and I turned to my left, and there was Beyonce standing there – I thought 'It couldn't get better than this'.' Mr Giddings said that he remembered the classic Isle of Wight Festival of 1970, which saw 600,000 hippies descend on the island causing the event to be outlawed for 32 years, and added: 'I remember walking over the hill, it was like going to the Battle of the Somme and you could smell them before you saw them.' After 23 years of organising the Isle of Wight Festival, he said: 'I absolutely love it, which is my downfall because I work all the time, I never think I've actually had a job. 'There's nothing better than sitting in an office in Fulham in November and it's wet and windy outside, and you're imagining putting an act on in a field on the Isle of Wight in June, and then you see it nine months later and people are going wild to it. 'It's the most satisfying thing ever to provide entertainment for people.' The Isle of Wight Festival 2025, which is being headlined by Sting, Stereophonics and Justin Timberlake, runs from June 19 to 22 at Seaclose Park, Newport.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen joined by Paul McCartney at Liverpool concert
Singer Bruce Springsteen brought out a special guest at his show in Liverpool as he performed with local star Sir Paul McCartney. The American musician was joined on stage by the 82-year-old Beatles star during the second of two shows at Anfield stadium on Saturday, with Sir Paul then providing vocals as the pair played the band's Can't Buy Me Love. Springsteen, 75, and his E Street Band are in the UK as part of his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour, which kicked off with three shows in Manchester last month. Footage shared on social media showed the surprised crowd cheering loudly as Sir Paul was introduced, before he then playfully pointed at Springsteen and the pair shared an embrace. Before he left the stage after their performance, Sir Paul addressed the crowd and reportedly said: 'Thank you, Scousers.' The two men have previously performed together on several occasions, most notably when Sir Paul delivered a headline set at Glastonbury in 2022. Announced as a surprise all the way from the east coast of America, Springsteen joined Sir Paul, who became the festival's oldest solo headliner, as they played hits Glory Days and I Wanna Be Your Man on the Pyramid Stage. In 2012, Sir Paul had joined Springsteen on stage at the end of the singer's headline slot at Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, London, but both stars found their microphones cut off before they could address the crowds after exceeding the curfew. Beginning his career in the 1960s, Springsteen has gone on to have 12 UK top 10 albums and four UK top 10 singles and is best known for songs such as Born In The USA, Dancing In The Dark and Born To Run. His Land of Hope and Dreams Tour, which includes 16 dates across six European countries, will conclude in Milan, Italy, on July 3.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Morrissey halts Manchester homecoming show for surprise announcement
Manchester music icon Morrissey halted his huge sold out homecoming show at the Co-op Live Arena to make a surprise announcement this evening (June 7) The former Smiths' frontman is in the city as part of his ongoing world solo tour. And the huge Co-op Live gig represents his biggest ever homecoming show. But halfway through his performance on Saturday, Morrissey, 66, brought a halt to proceedings - announcing he needed to put the record straight with a surprise revelation. READ MORE: Discounts and a deserted car park - what's going on with the Trafford Centre's Premium Parking? READ MORE: Exact time the Red Arrows will fly over the North West this afternoon The Mancunian star said: "It's always stated that I was born in Davyhulme... I wasn't born in Davyhulme!" He then added with some exasperation: "Everybody says I was born in Davyhulme, it's terrible it's something I've got to bear forever through life like hot coals. "I wasn't born in Davyhulme, does anybody care?" He went on in answer to shouts from the audience: "Where was I born? I was born in a really scruffy place. Just kidding, Old Trafford." It prompted a chorus of boos, presumably due to the area's football connections. But before continuing the show Morrissey was quick to retort: "Oh you may boo, you may boo louder, you may boo even louder... I have a lovely pair of firm, solid, Labradors,." The singing star had earlier looked emotional as he walked out on stage to greet fans at the show. His first words to the crowd were "I'm here, my God I'm here". While Morrissey has now confirmed his birthplace, he has long been associated with Stretford where he spent many years of his youth before becoming a worldwide music star. His set including a host of his solo anthems including Everyday is Like Sunday as well as The Smiths classics How Soon Is Now, Shoplifters of the World Unite and Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me. --- Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to Coronation Street. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it. And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on newsdesk@ or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920.
