The Games is a British reality sports game show that ran on Channel 4 for four series, in which 10 celebrities competed against each other, by doing Olympic-style events, such as weight lifting, gymnastics and diving. At the end of the series, the contestants with the most points from each round were awarded either a gold, silver or bronze medal.
The series was revived by ITV in May 2022, hosted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff.
History The show was mainly filmed in Sheffield, at the Sheffield Arena, Don Valley Stadium and Ponds Forge. In later series, the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield, iceSheffield and in series 4 the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham were used for the first time. Most recently the show has been broadcast from the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in south London.
Presenters The Games was presented by Jamie Theakston for the entirety of its run, with track-side reports from Jayne Middlemiss in series 1–3 and Kirsty Gallacher in series 4. David Goldstrom was the commentator for the events.
For the 2022 revival series, it is presented by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, with Simon Brotherton taking over as commentator with Chris Kamara by his side.
PersonOriginal RevivedSeries12341PresentersJamie Theakston colspan="4" Holly Willoughby colspan="4" Freddie Flintoff colspan="4" Track–side reportsJayne Middlemiss colspan="3" colspan="2" Kirsty Gallacher colspan="3" Alex Scott colspan="4" CommentatorsDavid Goldstrom colspan="4" Simon Brotherton colspan="4" Chris Kamara colspan="4"
Companion shows The Games also had an after-show called The Games: Live at Trackside, aired on Channel 4's sister channel E4. The first series was presented by Dougie Anderson, whilst the second was hosted by Gamezville presenters Darren Malcolm and Jamie Atiko. Justin Lee Collins and Caroline Flack took over as presenters for the third and fourth series. For the final series an extra one-hour show was added on E4 in the afternoon called The Games: Live at the Heats, and the evening after-show changed title to become The Games: Inside Track.
Main series results +Series championsSeries Female Male1Winner Azra Akın and Terri Dwyer HarveyRunner-up James HewittThird place Josie d'Arby Lee Latchford-Evans2Winner Lady Isabella Hervey Shane Lynch and Jarrod BatchelorRunner-up Katy HillThird place Charlie Dimmock Romeo3Winner Kirsty Gallacher Philip OlivierRunner-up Tamara Czartoryska Kevin SimmThird place Lisa Maffia Chesney Hawkes4Winner Javine Hylton Jade JonesRunner-up Julia Goldsworthy Marcel SomervilleThird place Michelle Gayle JK5Winner Chelcee Grimes Wes NelsonRunner-up Phoenix Gulzar-Brown Ryan ThomasThird place Rebecca Sarker Josh Herdman
Series 1 (2003) The first series aired in 2003 and the celebrities that took part were:
Celebrity Known for Medal achievedAzra AkınFormer Miss World Terri DwyerHollyoaks actressMC HarveySo Solid Crew rapper James Hewitt Ex-lover of Diana, Princess of Wales Josie d'Arby Television presenter Lee Latchford-Evans Steps singer Bobby Davro Comedian Jean-Christophe Novelli Chef Melanie C Spice Girls singer Withdrew Gail Porter Television presenter Withdrew
Porter pulled out part-way through the run. A serious knee injury sustained in the judo competition against Akın also forced Chisholm to withdraw.Ex-Spice Girl Mel C faces surgery – BBC News, 12 September 2003
Series 2 (2004)
The second series aired in 2004 and the celebrities that took part were:
Celebrity Known for Medal achievedLady Isabella HerveyModel & socialite Jarrod BachelorFormer Mr Gay UKShane LynchBoyzone singer Katy Hill Television presenter MC Romeo So Solid Crew rapper Charlie Dimmock Gardening expert & television presenter Charles Ingram Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? cheat Linda Lusardi Former model & actress Jodie Marsh Model Pat Sharp Television & radio presenter
Champion of Champions 2004 After the second series a special champion of champions edition took place, in which the top two male and female competitors from series one and two went head to head to compete for the title The Games Champion of Champions. The team from 2003 won. They comprised MC Harvey, James Hewitt, Terri Dwyer and Josie d'Arby (Azra Akın was unavailable to take part).
Series 3 (2005) The third series commenced on 25 March 2005 and the celebrities that took part were:
Celebrity Known for Medal achievedKirsty GallacherTelevision presenter Philip OlivierActor Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon Model Kevin Simm Liberty X singer Chesney Hawkes Singer Lisa Maffia So Solid Crew member & model Craig Charles Red Dwarf actor & comedian Anna Walker Television presenter Mel Giedroyc Comedian Danny Foster Former Hear'Say singer Jonathon Morris Actor Withdrew
Morris pulled out half-way through the run, and was replaced by Foster.
Injuries also forced Kevin Simm out of the sumo competition, and Craig Charles out of the speed skating and vaulting competitions.
Champion of Champions 2005 After the third series, another special champion of champions edition took place in which the top two male and female competitors from Team 2003, Team 2004 and Team 2005 competed against each other in weightlifting, hammer throwing and finally the relay race. From Team 2003, James Hewitt, Harvey, Terri Dwyer and Josie D'Arby competed. From Team 2004, Romeo, Jarrod Batchelor, Katy Hill and Lady Isabella Hervey competed. From Team 2005, Kevin Simm, Philip Olivier, Lisa Maffia and Kirsty Gallacher, competed. Team 2005 narrowly beat the team from the first series overall.
Series 4 (2006) The fourth series commenced on 17 March 2006, and was presented as usual by Jamie Theakston, and track-side coverage was taken over by Series Three contestant Kirsty Gallacher. There was a total of 18 different sporting events to test their skills and abilities. The men competed in water ski jump, weights, kendo, vault, diving, speed skating, cycling, javelin and 100m sprint. The women competed in whitewater kayak, hurdles, cycling, gym floor, swimming, curling, archery, hammer and 100m sprint.
Contestants that took part in the show were:
Celebrity Known for Medal achievedJade JonesDamage singer Javine HyltonSinger Julia Goldsworthy Falmouth and Camborne MP Marcel Somerville Blazin' Squad rapper Michelle Gayle Singer & actress Jason King Radio presenter Peter Duncan Actor & television presenter Amanda Lamb A Place in the Sun presenter Adam Rickitt Former Coronation Street actor & singer Bernie Nolan Former The Nolans singer
Darren Day was among the original line-up, but after consistently failing to take part in training, he was replaced by eventual winner Jones. DJ Goldie was originally a competitor, but was forced to pull out due to an injury sustained in the training sessions for the water-ski event. He was replaced by Rickitt.
Scores +The GirlsDisciplineAmandaBernieJavineJuliaMichelleWhitewater kayak 0 2 4 3 6Hurdles 3 1 6 5 3Cycling 4 2 4 6 0Gym floor 0 3 6 5 2Swimming 4 3 6 5 0Curling 0 2 4 3 5Archery 4 0 5 2 3Hammer 2 3 5 4 2100m sprint 2 0 5 3 4Total 19 16 45 36 25
+The BoysDisciplinePeterAdamJasonJadeMarcelWater ski jump 4 4 1 5 2Weights 6 1 4 3 7Kendo 3 0 4 5 3Vault 0 3 4 5 6Diving 6 1 4 5 3Speed skating 5 1 2 6 3Cycling 3 0 4 5 2Javelin 0 2 5 6 3100m sprint 2 0 4 4 5Total 29 12 32 44 34
Champion of Champions 2006 After the fourth series another special champion of champions edition took place in which the top two male and female competitors from series two, three and four competed against each other in a 50 m freestyle swim, diving and a 4 x 50 m freestyle relay at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.
Javine Hylton, Julia Goldsworthy MP, Jade Jones and MC Plat'num represented Team 2006, Kirsty Gallacher, Chesney Hawkes, Kevin Simm and HRH Princess Tamara represented Team 2005, and Lady Isabella Hervey, Linda Lusardi, Shane Lynch and Romeo represented Team 2004.
Team 2006 won the champion of champions 2006, scoring 29 points. The team of 2005 came second with 23. Finally team 2004 with 20. This Champion of Champions saw Shane Lynch achieve a dive which had never been performed on The Games before – a somersault. The trophy for the winners was presented to Team 2004, by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Roger Davison.
Series 5 (2022) The series was originally commissioned for 2020 as The Real Games, and then for 2021, but both times were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. In October 2021, it was confirmed that the series would air in 2022.
Contestants Celebrity Known for Medal achieved Wes Nelson Singer & television personality Chelcee Grimes Singer, presenter & footballer Ryan Thomas Former Coronation Street actor Phoenix Gulzar-Brown Model & Mel B's daughter Josh Herdman Harry Potter actor & mixed martial artist Rebecca Sarker Emmerdale actress Lucrezia Millarini ITV News newsreader Kevin Clifton Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Christine McGuinness Model & The Real Housewives of Cheshire star Max George The Wanted singer Olivia Attwood Television personality Colson Smith Coronation Street actor
Scores +WomenDisciplineChelceeChristineLucreziaOliviaPhoenixRebecca 100m hurdles 6 3 2 1 5 4 Synchronised diving 5 3 6 4 1 3 50m breast stroke 3 2 5 6 4 1 Javelin throw 2 5 3 1 6 4 400m race 6 1 4 2 3 5 Keirin 6 5 1 2 3 4 Speed climbing 5 3 4 1 6 2 Weightlifting 3 4 5 1 2 6 100m race 6 1 2 3 5 4Total 42 27 32 21 35 33
+MenDisciplineColsonJoshKevinMaxRyanWes Hammer throw 3 2 5 2 6 4 400m race 3 5 4 1 2 6 50m freestyle 1 4 2 5 3 6 Synchronised diving 3 3 4 1 5 6 Canoe slalom 1 4 5 3 6 2 110m hurdles 1 5 2 4 3 6 Speed climbing 1 5 2 3 4 6 Elimination race 4 5 2 1 6 3 100m race 1 5 2 3 4 6Total 18 38 28 23 39 45
Events
Women's 100m hurdles Celebrity Place Points Chelcee Grimes 1st 6 Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 2nd 5 Rebecca Sarker 3rd 4 Christine McGuinness 4th 3 Lucrezia Millarini 5th 2 Olivia Attwood 6th 1
Men's hammer throw Celebrity First throw Second throw Points Ryan Thomas 27.00m 28.91m 6 Kevin Clifton 26.07m No throw 5 Wes Nelson No throw 25.57m 4 Colson Smith 20.04m No throw 3 Josh Herdman No throw No throw 2 Max George No throw No throw 2
Mixed synchronised diving Celebrity First dive Second dive Total Points Lucrezia Millarini 52.50 49.50 102.00 6 Wes Nelson Chelcee Grimes 39.00 52.00 91.00 5 Ryan Thomas Olivia Attwood 33.00 39.00 72.00 4 Kevin Clifton Christine McGuinness 36.00 33.00 69.00 3 Josh Herdman Rebecca Sarker 33.00 36.00 69.00 3 Colson Smith Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 27.75 40.50 68.25 1 Max George
Men's 400m race Celebrity Time Place Points Wes Nelson 57.58 1st 6 Josh Herdman 58.35 2nd 5 Kevin Clifton 1:02.04 3rd 4 Colson Smith 1:05.18 4th 3 Ryan Thomas 1:07.86 5th 2 Max George 1:16.55 6th 1
Men's 50m freestyle Celebrity Time Place Points Wes Nelson 32.92 1st 6 Max George 34.04 2nd 5 Josh Herdman 35.15 3rd 4 Ryan Thomas 35.52 4th 3 Kevin Clifton 42.00 5th 2 Colson Smith 47.71 6th 1
Men's canoe slalom Celebrity Time Place Points Ryan Thomas 79.87 1st 6 Kevin Clifton 109.90 2nd 5 Josh Herdman 115.14 3rd 4 Max George 119.90 4th 3 Wes Nelson 142.04 5th 2 Colson Smith 191.85 6th 1
Women's 50m breast stroke Celebrity Time Place Points Olivia Attwood 51.67 1st 6 Lucrezia Millarini 52.57 2nd 5 Phoenix Gulzar-Brown 57.48 3rd 4 Chelcee Grimes 57.73 4th 3 Christine McGuinness 1:16.63 5th 2 Rebecca Sarker 1:24.71 6th 1
Men's 100m hurdles Celebrity Place Points Wes Nelson 1st 6 Josh Herdman 2nd 5 Max George 3rd 4 Ryan Thomas 4th 3 Kevin Clifton 5th 2 Colson Smith 6th 1
Women's javelin Celebrity First throw Second throw Points Phoenix Gulzar-Brown No throw 22.46m 6 Christine McGuinness No throw 20.05m 5 Rebecca Sarker 13.41m 16.71m 4 Lucrezia Millarini 14.68m No throw 3 Chelcee Grimes No throw 13.87m 2 Olivia Attwood 10.79m 11.38m 1
Women's 400m race