The BBC has confirmed a relaunch of Survivor, 20 years after its first broadcast on ITV, with Banjay label Remarkable Entertainment producing.
The 16-part series, which will be broadcast next year, will pit 20 individuals against each other in physical and psychological tests on an island in order to crown the greatest survivor.
The BBC stated that broadcast confirmation, presenter information, and other casting details for the UK edition of Survivor will be published in due time.
Natalka Znak, who is currently exec producing ITV’s Big Brother remake, will executive produce with Claire O’Donohoe, both of whom have been key Banijay appointments in recent months.
The concept, conceived by Charlie Parsons, was initially broadcast in Sweden in 1997 and was taken up by ITV for two seasons in 2001. It has been a great hit in the United States, broadcasting on CBS for 42 seasons and still going strong, and adaptations have been developed in many areas.
“Survivor is a worldwide television sensation, and to be able to bring one of TV’s most popular formats to people in the UK in a distinctly BBC style is a really exciting possibility,” said Kate Phillips, BBC Director of Unscripted.
“Survivor is ‘the greatest gameshow on earth for a reason,” Znak said, “it has everything – realism, adventure, drama, and the ultimate game.”
