Latest news with #Grylls
Metro
7 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Holly Willoughby suffers major blow as Netflix show is 'axed' after one season
Holly Willoughby's Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt has reportedly been axed (Picture: Netflix) British TV personality Holly Willoughby's Netflix show Celebrity Bear Hunt reportedly won't be returning to screens for a second season. The former This Morning star, 44, broke into the Netflix presenting market last year by hosting a survival show which plunged a group of famous faces into the jungles of Costa Rica where they are chased by famed survivalist Bear Grylls. The show featured the likes of Spice Girls icon Mel B, retired tennis player Boris Becker, TV presenter Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, and Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas. Although the show comfortably topped the UK Netflix charts – and hung about in the top 10 for multiple weeks – it didn't quite make the same splash globally, with insiders claiming at the time that execs didn't believe it had been worth the 'huge financial cost', per The Mirror. Now, four months after its premiere, it looks as though its fate has been sealed with sources telling MailOnline it will not be returning. Get personalised updates on all things Netflix Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. The insider said: 'Everyone was very proud of the show but when it came to it, it was just so expensive to make. The expensive Costa Rica-based show performed well in the UK but not globally (Picture: Tom Dymond/Netflix) 'You had to have a whole set in Costa Rica, loads of staff and loads of celebrities. The overheads were eyewatering,' adding that cheaper locations were explored but ultimately nothing was found. It comes just two weeks after Grylls shared his hopes of a renewal with an optimistic update. 'God willing, we're just sort of figuring that out at the moment,' he told Dermot O'Leary on Radio 2. The first season, dubbed 'I'm A Celebrity on steroids' spanned 12 episodes and was won by Big Zuu where he was rewarded a rope worn by Grylls himself and which he has hung up in his home like a 'weird little mantlepiece' as he told Metro. Although it seems as though it is the end of the road for the reality show, it left a lasting mark on its cast, as The Saturdays' Una Healey explained. The show was ultimately won by Big Zuu (Picture: Tom Dymond/Netflix) It remains to be seen what the TV presenter does next (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock) '[Grylls] actually prepared us for the outside world afterwards, to get back to reality, which I did experience a mild form of PTSD. And he said that can happen,' she told The Sun at the time. The pop star added: 'It's very natural because you're coming back into your natural environment. But you've adapted to this whole new way of life. 'So he prepared me for that and I had it. I had a few aftershocks and nightmares and stuff.' As for Willoughby, it is unclear what her next career move is after her final ITV show, Dancing On Ice, announced it was coming to an end after 19 years. She also quit her co-hosting gig with Stephen Mulhern for the reboot of You Bet! after one season. Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to stream on Netflix. Metro has reached out to Netflix for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: I'm a TV critic – here's 7 shows I'm bingeing in June Arrow MORE: Netflix viewers have days to binge 'phenomenal' drama before new episodes drop Arrow MORE: Furious WWE fans 'hijack' major Raw matches after heartbreaking cuts
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: Towering Vision claims stakes victory in desperate finish
Bergerson was excited about the future prospects for his charge, who he believes will get better with age and a step up in distance. 'We always liked the step up to 1400m, we thought he would also handle the track and he has just gone the right way of late,' Bergerson said. 'He is a horse we think has plenty of upside and looks like a really nice 3-year-old for next season. 'He has the ability to do it now and that is a fantastic result for his owners, for Windsor Park and Circus Maximus. 'We think he can go to the mile next time so the Champagne Stakes [Listed, 1600m] at Ellerslie is a possibility once we get him home and see how he pulls up. 'Fair play to him as well as he looked beaten when the other one went past him. He got a bit green and got lost but he kicked again, which is a credit to him.' Grylls confirmed his mount had run a little greenly in the straight but was impressed with how he knuckled down to the challenge. 'He hopped away nicely and put himself there before idling up to them in the home straight,' he said. 'He got a little bit lost when he kicked away and the second horse has possibly headed him, but to his credit, he picked himself up again. 'You would think 1600m will be ideal for him as he is a big, long-striding type.' Purchased by Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis for $105,000 during the Book 1 sale at Karaka in 2024, Towering Vision is closely related to multiple South Island stakes winner Who Dares Wins. His sire Circus Maximus, a son of champion stallion Galileo, will stand at Windsor Park for $17,500 + GST during 2025 breeding season.
The National
28-02-2025
- The National
Bear Grylls in Dubai: ‘I'm not a fearless person'
'You don't have to go to the end of the world for an adventure.' Coming from renowned British explorer, adventurer and survival expert Bear Grylls, 50, the ethos is reassuring. In these overly-scheduled, budget-conscious times, it's a reminder that you don't have to spend thousands on exotic holidays to find new and interesting ways to see the world. You should, says Grylls, start on your own doorstep. 'Nature heals us if we slow down enough to listen,' he tells The National. 'Kids thrive best when they have space to explore and to listen and look at the stars and listen to the birds. It's simple but it's true. 'Make nature part of your life by finding your thing, whatever that is. It might be a hike, a barefoot walk along the beach, walking, cycling to school or work or wild swimming. The trick is to find your thing and create an environment around you where that thing is possible.' Grylls is in Dubai for the launch of The Wilds, a new villa community by Abu Dhabi's Aldar Properties that is located along Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, opposite Global Village. The development where 'nature is your neighbour' appealed to two of Grylls' favourite passions: bringing together family and nature. 'I think you know in your heart when a partnership is right,' he says of his involvement. 'I've been trying to encourage things that's support families to live and love and explore the outdoors my whole life.' Grylls' relationship with the UAE is an enduring one. It is the location for the world's first Bear Grylls Explorers Camp, which opened in 2020 in the Jebel Jais mountains in Ras Al Khaimah. 'I've come to the UAE a lot over the years and every time I notice the pace of change and development along with an ever-increasing sense of positivity and people's pride in how safe it is,' he says. 'Those are the things that always strike me, along with a can-do attitude that gives you the feeling you're in the beating heart of innovation and pioneering entrepreneurism. 'I think people aren't aware of how much diversity there is here. When I go up to RAK and see the mountains and canyons and coasts, it's all so beautiful. Nature and our connection to it has long been at the heart of Grylls's message, along with a passion for instilling in younger generations a love for the outdoors that he was given as a young boy. 'My dad was a former Royal Marine's commando who loved all the outdoors stuff, so that all came from him,' he says. 'And from my mum, it was all about 'go and get what you want in life'. Try, fail, get back up, go again, be tenacious. And in me is that combination of the outdoors and the go-getter, never-give-up spirit.' Nicknamed Bear by his older sister Lara (his real name is Edward), Grylls was educated at Eton College, the British school established in 1440 by King Henry VI that counts Princes William and Harry as well as actors Tom Hiddleston and George Orwell, and countless global dignitaries and British Prime Ministers among its storied alumni. After leaving school he served with the British military regiment 21 SAS as a trooper from 1994 to 1997, a tenure that was cut short when his parachute failed to open during a free fall parachuting exercise in Kenya. He fell 16,000 feet, breaking three vertebrae. Undeterred, he climbed Mount Everest 18 months later, following up in 2003 by crossing the North Atlantic Ocean as part of a team of six. Two years after that, television came calling. To date, he has appeared in, produced and hosted 19 TV shows. Characteristically, he does not take credit for the success of his TV shows. 'Nature does the work for me,' he says of the likes of Man vs Wild, Bear's Wild Weekend and Bear Grylls Wild Adventure. 'In Running Wild with Bear Grylls, the 'wild' is the star, it does my job for me,' he says. 'On a chat show, it's a three-minute performance, but when you go into the forest, make a fire, sit down, breathe and shut up for two seconds, it's different.' In Running Wild with Bear Grylls he has embarked on two-day trips into the jungle with the likes of Hollywood stars Zac Efron, Ben Stiller and Kate Winslet; Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Barack Obama. 'You're together for 48 hours,' he says. 'You're scared together, cold and hungry together, doing your best together, failing and succeeding together and then you sit around the campfire and talk about life.' For a man who has fallen 16,000 feet out of an aeroplane, paramotored over the Himalayas, broke his shoulder kite skiing at speeds of 50kmh across ice in Antarctica and, memorably, drank his own urine from a container fashioned from rattlesnake skin, is there anything he fears? 'I'm not a fearless person,' he says. 'There are loads of things I'm scared of, including when I broke my back in the free fall accident. 'It's OK to live with a bit of fear, it's how you deal with the bigger stuff. I feel fear every day, but I know how to embrace it.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is Celebrity Bear Hunt back for series 2? Holly Willoughby and Bear Grylls speak out
Holly Willoughby and Bear Grylls have discussed the future of Celebrity Bear Hunt as Netflix viewers of the show made a demand for a series two. Survival expert Grylls dropped a big hint that a second series could be on the horizon for the series as he told us: "[We're] only just getting going [with Celebrity Bear Hunt]." There could be a big change on the horizon if the series is green lit. Celebrity Bear Hunt brings 12 stars into the Costa Rican jungle where they have to put their survival skills to the test but in a twist they must escape capture from expert Bear Grylls in the 'Bear Pit'. Willoughby is the glamorous presenter who offers the stars support and encouragement throughout the competition. Reports in The Sun have claimed the Netflix show will move away from Costa Rica for the second series due to safety reasons linked to local drug gangs. Instead, it has been reported South Africa and Australia are being looked at as possible alternative locations. Yahoo UK reached out to Netflix for further comment. Celebrity Bear Hunt marked a big return to TV for Willoughby after she was at the centre of a kidnap, rape and murder plot. The TV presenter quit her daytime job on This Morning following the scare. Gavin Plumb, 37, was sentenced to life in jail for the kidnap plot. Celebrity Bear Hunt's series one line-up includes famous faces: Boris Becker, Mel B, Una Healy, Shirley Ballas, Steph McGovern, Joe Thomas, Kola Bokinni, Danny Cipriani, Big Zuu, Lottie Moss, Leomie Anderson, Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen. When asked about a second series, Willoughby told Yahoo: "We absolutely love everything about the show, doing the show, and I think right now we're just sort of focusing on this one. We've unleashed it now. Let's see what what people make of it, one step at a time right?" Grylls chipped in to agree with his co-presenter saying: "One step at a time." We're only getting startedBear Grylls Despite being from different worlds, they got on so well together and Willoughby discussed how their friendship will continue. She said: "We did have a really good time. Definitely [we will stay in touch. I think that you can go through an experience like that and not sort of bond in some way. So yeah, definitely you've made friends on that show." Willoughby and Grylls don't shy away from the fact that Celebrity Bear Hunt is a tough reality TV show to take part in. However, the show isn't meant to break the celebrities; Grylls pointed out that Celebrity Bear Hunt is designed to be an empowering experience. "It definitely is tough and it's tense, I would say," Willoughby said. "Being part of it, watching what the celebrities are going through, your heart is in your mouth, they really want to prove something to themselves. They really wanna impress you [Bear Grylls] because I think they, you teach them so much, I think they want to do well." Grylls added: "The goal is not just for it to be a tough experience. I want it to be a really empowering experience to get to there. You may have to go through a few tough moments. There's no doubt that 'Bear Pit' once you go through those gates, it's a bit like Jurassic Park. It's a pressure testing environment. "Holly would then pick up the pieces once they came back looking bedraggled and broken. But eventually, they kind of elevate day by day, night by night, week by week, they got those that stuck around. And didn't get kind of sent home, just get stronger and better, and that's a cool thing to see." One thing that is clear is how popular the show is. It was released on Wednesday this week and already it has rocketed to the top of the UK TV Top 10 Netflix chart. Social media was awash with fans sharing their hopes for a second series because they had already binge-watched the reality competition series, set against the backdrop of the Costa Rican jungle. Among the comments on social media platforms X, one person wrote: "okay well #CelebrityBearHunt was BRILLIANT but binging 8 episodes just for *that* winner feels like a kick in the teeth. i need a series two NOW." Another wrote: "#CelebrityBearHunt was great fun. There had better be another series, @NetflixUK." Someone else added: "With a few tweaks [especially im the Bear Pit] this series could be great! #CelebrityBearHunt." Additionally, one viewer wrote: "I'm loving @hollywills on celebrity bear hunt, I hope there's another series. I love Joe too #CelebrityBearHunt." Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to stream on Netflix now.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bear Grylls Responds To Controversy Over His Involvement In Russell Brand's Baptism
Bear Grylls has reflected on his controversial decision to help Russell Brand with his baptism last year. In 2024, the comedian shared a picture of himself being baptised in the River Thames, with the survivalist at his side. 'Me, Bear Grylls, The River Thames and of course, The Holy Spirit,' he wrote on X alongside a picture from the day of his baptism. Me, Bear Grylls, The River Thames and of course, The Holy Spirit. — Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) May 8, 2024 Grylls' involvement in the baptism was met with a backlash as Brand's own conversion to Christianity took place around the time he wasaccused by multiple women of 'rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse'. Brand has repeatedly denied the allegations made about him. During a recent interview with The Times to promote his new Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt, Grylls said of the baptism: 'I try and live in a way that I never judge and I always try and love. And that principle doesn't just apply to perfect people with perfect lives.' Grylls added that he and Brand struck up a friendship in 2023, after the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor was a guest on his show Running Wild. 'I'm friends with many of our Running Wild guests. And I always try to think of that phrase, WWJD – what would Jesus do? That's been a guiding principle for me,' Grylls claimed. Last year, Grylls told the Daily Mail: 'Faith and spiritual moments in our lives are really personal, but it is a privilege to stand beside anyone when they express a humble need for forgiveness and strength from above. 'Friendships when we go through tough times are worth so much.' Throughout his time in the spotlight, Grylls has spoken candidly about his Christian faith, publishing a book of devotionals called Soul Fuel in 2019, followed by 2022's Mind Fuel. He has also repeatedly done promotional work for the 'Alpha course', an evangelical course involving lectures and discussions which serves as an introduction to the Christian faith. Nicole Scherzinger Slammed For Comments On Russell Brand's Post Supporting Trump Win Katharine McPhee Hits Out Over Reports Around 'Resurfaced' Clip Of Herself And Russell Brand Bear Grylls 'So Sorry' For Appearing To Look 'Cheery' Outside The Queen's Funeral
