MOVE over Ant & Dec – Bradley and Barney Walsh are coming for your crown.
With their new gig as hosts of Gladiators on the horizon and five series of Breaking Dad under their belt, they are a force to be reckoned with.
And I can reveal there is even more on the way, as ITV has given the go-ahead for an impressive sixth series of the father-and-son travel jaunt.
This time they will find out what Asia has to offer, jetting off to Japan for a host of new challenges and to explore the country in their beloved RV motor home.
A source said: “It’s been a busy year for Bradley and Barney.
“As well as working together on the reboot of Gladiators for the BBC, Barney has been living away from home while filming for Casualty, and Bradley is non-stop with The Chase.
“So they’re thrilled to be back together for a sixth series of Breaking Dad, where they genuinely have as much fun as it looks on screen.
‘Longer wait’
“Going on another epic adventure gives them the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time together.
“They have already ticked off a number of dream destinations, but there’s plenty to get stuck into in Japan —and it’s likely to be the wildest series yet.”
So far the pair have travelled across North and South America and Europe, taking on challenges as they drive through countries.
A new series has dropped every January since 2019 but their busy filming schedules mean a 2024 instalment is unlikely.
The source added: “Filming is expected to kick off later this year when Bradley and Barney can commit time to being away from the UK together.
“It can take five to six weeks on the road to film the entire Breaking Dad series, so it is thought there’ll be a longer wait for fans – with transmission most likely in 2025.”
Well, if anyone deserves a break it’s Bradley and Barney.
HELEN’S CLUCKY ESCAPE
HELEN Skelton didn’t mind dressing up on Strictly – but it would have been a different story if she was asked to wear a chicken costume.
The TV host has revealed she quit Blue Peter in 2013 after five years when bosses told her to put on the unflattering outfit while filming a segment at the World Worm Charming Championships.
And when she was asked to pretend to “get worms out of the ground”, she knew it was “time to move on”.
She says in her new book, In My Stride: “The disparity between the surreal and extreme challenges was beginning to grate.”
She added: “No one wants a presenter rolling their eyes in a chicken costume.”
Mind you, I bet the worms had fun.
Doctor Who debut
THE director of Netflix hit Sex Education will join show star Ncuti Gatwa as the actor makes his Doctor Who debut.
Kate Herron will work with Bafta-winning writer Briony Redman in putting together an episode of the science fiction show’s new series on BBC One next year.
MARCUS JAIL FIGHT DRAMA
IT got all too real for Marcus Luther when he went behind bars for Channel 4’s new reality show Banged Up.
The Gogglebox star had to leave his happy-go-lucky nature at the gates to survive in HMP Shrewsbury.
He even found himself in a brawl, which had to be broken up by a fellow inmate and security officers – in scenes not included in the show that starts at 9.15pm on Tuesday.
Marcus said: “It was a real fight. I was just in the cell standing in my towel and one of the men came in and came at me and I had to go back at him.
“It escalated very quickly. But that wasn’t all shown in the episode.
“Kevin, one of the other prisoners, had to step in and break it up.”
ASH GETS KICKS AT FILM LEAD
EMILY In Paris’ Ashley Park is finally enjoying being centre stage after starring in US film comedy Joy Ride.
The actress, best known as Mindy Chen in the hit Netflix series, admitted she always thought of herself in a supporting role until being cast in the Hollywood movie released this year.
She told Women’s Health magazine: “I got to a point where I found my worth in not being the central focus – I was treating myself like I was a supporting character.
“I deserved to take care of myself and not just everyone else. I’m treating myself like a lead now.
“Asian woman on screen, especially in Hollywood, have been so sexualised and so fetishised for the benefit of other people’s stories or jokes.
“In Joy Ride, we’re like, ‘We’re going to go balls to the wall, further than anyone’s gone with Asian women’.
“That’s exactly what has made me the person, performer . . . everything I am today.
“You cannot put me in a box. Do not put me in a box.”
The full interview with Ashley Park can be read in the November issue of Women’s Health UK.
JILL THRILLS
JILL Halfpenny has signed up for another storming Channel 5 thriller – this time four-parter The Cuckoo.
The former EastEnders actress has proved a huge draw for viewers, helping to get hit ratings for The Holiday and The Drowning.
Jill leads the cast as Sian, a woman who arrives into the lives of married couple Nick and Jessica and their adopted daughter Alice after moving in as a lodger.
But the family run into trouble as the financial crisis hits and Sian starts disrupting harmony in the house.
Jessica begins to question if Sian is really who she claims to be, with events leading to Nick and Alice fighting for each other – and their own lives.
The Long Shadow’s Lee Ingleby and Claire Goose from The Bay co-star.
Filming has begun on location in Ireland and the drama is expected to hit our screens next year.
CONTESTANTS from this year’s Great British Bake Off are already being spotted and approached off-screen.
Nicky, revealed she had been stopped on holiday and said: “I’ve had so many recognise me. I even got recognised in France.”
