Splash! (British TV series)
{{short description|British reality television series}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Splash! (TV series).png
| genre = Reality
| presenter = Gabby Logan
Vernon Kay
| judges = Andy Banks
Jo Brand
Leon Taylor
| starring = Tom Daley
| narrated = Alan March
| language = English
| num_series = 2
| num_episodes = 12
| executive_producer = Shirley Jones
Darren Smith
| producer = Aaron Kidd
Gyles Neville
| writer = Adam Bostock-Smith
| director = Julia Knowles
| location = Inspire: Luton Sports Village, Luton, Bedfordshire
| runtime = 90 minutes ({{Abbr|inc.|including}} advertisements)
| company = Twofour
| network = ITV
| first_aired = {{start date|2013|1|5|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2014|2|15|df=yes}}
| related = Celebrity Splash!
}}
Splash! is a British reality television series that follows celebrities learning diving. The celebrities performed each week in front of a panel of judges and a live audience in an Olympic-size diving pool with the result each week partly determined by public vote. Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay presented the show, whilst Team GB Olympic gold medal-winning diver Tom Daley was the expert mentor to the celebrities.{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/20159384 |title=Olympic star Tom Daley launches celebrity diving show |work=Newsbeat |date=31 October 2012 |access-date=11 May 2013}} It was filmed at the Inspire: Luton Sports Village, which is based in Stopsley, Luton.{{cite web |url=http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/celebs-making-a-splash-with-tom-1-4637394 |title=Celebs making a splash with Tom |work=Luton Today |date=4 January 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013}}
The show premiered on ITV on 5 January 2013, winning the ratings battle for its 7:15–8:15 p.m. slot with an average audience of 5.6 million viewers, a network share of 23.6%,{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jan/07/tom-daley-splash-itv-tv-ratings |title=Tom Daley proves he's chairman of the board with solid debut for Splash! |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=7 January 2013 |first=Mark |last=Sweney |access-date=11 May 2013}}{{cite journal |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-02-04/splash-secures-second-series |title=Splash! secures second series |date=4 February 2013 |first=Ellie |last=Walker-Arnott |journal=Radio Times |access-date=11 May 2013}} however, it was cancelled on 24 June 2014 after two series.{{cite web |url=http://tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv/splash/187416-itvs-splash-gets-the-axe-after-two-series.html |title=ITV's Splash! gets the axe after two series |work=Tellymix |access-date=25 June 2014}}
The format for the show originated from the Celebrity Splash! franchise created by television production company Eyeworks in the Netherlands,{{cite web |url=http://www.eyeworks.tv/catalogue/catalogue_item/t/celebrity_splash |title=Celebrity Splash |work=Eyeworks |access-date=11 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508131437/http://www.eyeworks.tv/catalogue/catalogue_item/t/celebrity_splash |archive-date=8 May 2013}} and was broadcast on SBS 6 as Sterren Springen Op Zaterdag (Celebrities Jumping on Saturday).{{cite web |url=http://www.sbs6.nl/programmas/sterren-springen-op-zaterdag |title=Sterren Springen Op Zaterdag |publisher=SBS 6 |language=Dutch |access-date=11 May 2013}}
Format
{{Main|Celebrity Splash!}}
The show was broadcast live on ITV on Saturday evenings, and was presented by Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay. In the show, celebrities competed against each other, performing dives in order to impress a judging panel and the viewing public. The series consisted of heats where two celebrities from each go into the semi-finals, and then followed by a live final on successive Saturdays.
Series overview
Two series were broadcast, as summarised below.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" |
| scope="col"| Series
! scope="col"| Start ! scope="col"| Finish ! scope="col"| Winner ! scope="col"| Runner-up ! scope="col"| Third place ! scope="col"| Fourth place ! scope="col"| Hosts ! scope="col"| Judges |
|---|
| scope="row"|1
| 5 January 2013 | 2 February 2013 | {{n/a}} | rowspan=2|Gabby Logan | rowspan=2|Andy Banks |
| scope="row"|2
| 4 January 2014 | 15 February 2014 |
Main series results
=Series 1 (2013)=
{{main|Splash! (British series 1)}}
The first series began airing on 5 January 2013 and ran for 5 weeks ending on 2 February 2013.
The contestants for the first series were:
| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align: center;" |
| Celebrity
! Known for ! Status |
|---|
| Jade Ewen
| Singer | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 1st |
| Helen Lederer
| Comedian, actress & writer | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 2nd |
| Jenni Falconer
| TV presenter | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 3rd |
| Diarmuid Gavin
| Garden designer | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 4th |
| Caprice
| Model and actress | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 5th |
| Joey Essex
| Reality TV star | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 6th |
| Donna Air
| TV presenter | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 7th |
| Dom Joly
| Comedian and actor | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 8th |
| Tina Malone
| Actress | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 9th |
| Anthony Ogogo
| Olympic professional boxer | style=background:lightgreen; text-align:center;"|Withdrew |
| Charlotte Jackson
| Journalist and TV presenter | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 10th |
| Omid Djalili
| Comedian and actor | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 10th |
| Linda Barker
| Interior designer and TV presenter | style=background:tan; text-align:center;"|Third place |
| Jake Canuso
| Actor | style=background:silver; text-align:center;"|Runner-up |
| Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards
| Olympic ski jumper | style=background:gold; text-align:center;"|Winner |
=Series 2 (2014)=
{{main|Splash! (British series 2)}}
On 4 February 2013, a second series was confirmed;{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s214/splash/news/a456256/splash-tom-daley-reality-show-to-return-for-second-series-in-2014.html |title='Splash!': Tom Daley reality show to return for second series in 2014 |work=Digital Spy |date=4 February 2013 |first=Mayer |last=Nissim |access-date=11 May 2013}} it began airing on 4 January 2014{{cite web |last1=Darvill |first1=Josh |title=ITV's Splash! 2014 start date set for January 4 |url=http://tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv/splash/169134-itvs-splash-2014-start-date-set-for-january-4.html |website=Tellymix |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216045403/http://tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv/splash/169134-itvs-splash-2014-start-date-set-for-january-4.html |archive-date=16 December 2013 |date=9 December 2013}} and ran for 7 weeks, ending on 15 February 2014.
The contestants for the second series were:
| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align: center;" |
| Celebrity
! Known for ! Status |
|---|
| Gemma Merna
| Actress | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 1st |
| Ricky Groves
| Actor | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 2nd |
| Gemma Collins
| Reality TV star | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 3rd |
| Martin Offiah
| Rugby player | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 4th |
| Paul Ross
| Journalist | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 5th |
| Toyah Willcox
| Singer | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 6th |
| Patrick Monahan
| Comedian | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 7th |
| Paul Young
| Singer | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 8th |
| Penny Mordaunt
| Politician | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 9th |
| Pollyanna Woodward
| TV presenter | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 10th |
| Jenny Eclair
| Comedian | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 11th |
| Una Healy
| Singer | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 12th |
| Michaela Strachan
| TV presenter | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 13th |
| Danielle Lloyd
| Model | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 14th |
| Austin Healey
| Rugby player | style="background:lightgreen; text-align:center;"|Withdrew |
| Anna Williamson
| TV presenter | style="background:salmon; text-align:center;"|Eliminated 15th |
| Dan Osborne
| Reality TV star | style="background:cyan; text-align:center;"|Fourth place |
| Keith Duffy
| Singer | style=background:tan; text-align:center;"|Third place |
| Richard Whitehead
| Paralympic runner | style=background:silver; text-align:center;"|Runner-up |
| Perri Kiely
| Dancer | style="background: gold; text-align:center;"|Winner |
Reception
The show received generally poor reviews from critics after its premiere, including "utterly awful",{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/jan/07/splash-tv-so-bad-good |title=Splash! Some TV is so bad it's good |work=guardian.co.uk |date=7 January 2013 |first=Ben |last=Dowell |access-date=11 May 2013}} "a new low for television"{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/tom-daleys-belly-flop-itv-1522177 |title=Tom Daley's belly flop: ITV diving show Splash! sunk by fans – yet 6.1m still tune in |work=Daily Mirror |first=Tom |last=Bryant |date=6 January 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013}} and "probably the worst programme ever screened in primetime".{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/saturday-night-flop-splash-has-me-diving-1525007 |title=Saturday night flop Splash has me diving bored already |work=Daily Record |date=9 January 2013 |first=Stephen |last=Jardine |access-date=11 May 2013}} Despite the negative critical response, it achieved reasonable ratings and was recommissioned for a second series,{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/feb/05/splash-returns-second-series |title=Splash! returns for a second series - hurrah! |work=The Guardian |date=5 February 2013 |first=Stuart |last=Heritage |access-date=18 January 2014}} before being cancelled in 2014.
Concern was shown for Daley's role in the show by the head of British Swimming David Sparkes, who claimed that Daley was in danger of putting his media work before his sporting career, and possibly hampering his chances of a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.co.uk/more/sport/story/187232.html |title=TV show 'could cost Daley medal in Rio' |work=ESPN.co.uk |date=8 January 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013}} Andy Banks, Daley's coach at Plymouth Diving and British Swimming and judge on the show, disagreed with Sparkes' criticism, stating his concerns that such negative comments might take the fun out of diving for Daley and indeed drive him away from the sport altogether to pursue his media career.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9788760/Tom-Daleys-coach-fears-diver-may-quit-sport-after-latest-row-over-his-media-commitments.html |title=Tom Daley's coach fears diver may quit sport after latest row over his media commitments |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |first=Simon |last=Hart |date=9 January 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013}} Daley eventually won a bronze medal in the men's synchronized platform dive in the 2016 Games.
Heat 3 contestant Tina Malone made negative comments in an interview with Liverpool radio station Juice FM several days before her appearance on the show. She called Splash! and other reality shows "garbage", as well as stating that "it's the big fat cheques that make me happy", in reference to the fact she appears in such TV shows only for the financial reward.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/09/splash-contestant-tina-malone-tom-daley_n_2437831.html |title='Splash!' Contestant Tina Malone Calls Tom Daley's Show 'Garbage' |work=HuffPost |date=9 January 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013}}
International versions
A US version, under the title Splash, premiered on 19 March 2013, from the Riverside Aquatics Complex at Riverside City College and Pasadena's Rose Bowl Aquatics Center on ABC television.{{cite web |url=http://unrealitytv.com/stars-in-danger-high-diving-and-celebrity-splash-upcoming-shows-full-of-awesome/ |title=Stars in Danger: High Diving and Celebrity Splash – Upcoming Shows Full of Awesome |work=Unreality TV |date=26 October 2012 |first=Carrie |last=Grosvenor |access-date=11 May 2013}}{{cite news |author=Patrick Kevin Day |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-louie-anderson-20130319,0,5601665.story |title=ABC, Louie Anderson take the plunge with 'Splash' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=11 May 2013}} The US version features 2012 Olympic 10m diving champion David Boudia and American diving legend Greg Louganis as judges.{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/olympian-david-boudia-judge-abc-celebrity-splash-394683 |title=Olympian David Boudia to Judge ABC's Celebrity Diving Series (Exclusive) |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=29 November 2012 |first=Lesley |last=Goldberg |access-date=11 May 2013}} The Seven Network in Australia also commissioned Celebrity Splash! which aired in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/10/seven-set-to-celebrity-splash-into-2013.html |title=Seven set to Celebrity Splash into 2013 |publisher=TV Tonight |date=16 October 2012 |access-date=19 January 2013 |first=David |last=Knox}} In 2015, a Lithuanian version of the show, called Šuolis, premiered on TV3.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{UKGameshow|Splash!|Splash!}}.
{{Celebrity Splash!}}
Category:2010s British reality television series
Category:2013 British television series debuts
Category:2014 British television series endings
Category:British sports television series
Category:British television series based on Dutch television series
Category:British English-language television shows