Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel returns to One with Shaun Ryder and Bez set for the second episode on Saturday 21 November. The pair from Happy Mondays join a new series built around celebrity experts answering questions in their specialist areas.
Michael McIntyre on the format
Michael McIntyre said the return arrives at the right moment: “The new series is starting at the perfect time; clocks have gone back, leaves have fallen, nights are cold – we’re all ready now for another hilarious and heartwarming spin of the Wheel”. He also said the appeal is structural rather than cosmetic, adding: “I think The Wheel’s strength is that every show is so different because the format creates so many possible outcomes with new contestants, categories, celebs, and questions.”
Saul Ryder and Bez on Saturday 21 November
The second episode gives Viewers of One a fresh celebrity lineup, with Shaun Ryder and Bez appearing alongside Italian Bach, Kerry Godliman, Trevor Nelson, Angela Scanlon, Alex Scott and Josh Widdicombe. That follows this week’s first new instalment, which features Michael Ball, Kate Garraway, Isa Guha, Harriet Kemsley, Matt Morsia, Katherine Ryan, Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely.
McIntyre said the show can move from light entertainment to something more cut-throat, explaining: “It’s also surprisingly dramatic for a show that always starts out fun. One of our celebrity experts described their time on the show this series as starting out as a laugh before turning into The Hunger Games! There aren’t many shows that can pull off that kind of transformation”.
One and the winning edge
He also put the emphasis on the payoff for contestants, saying: “It’s an enormous privilege to be able to make people so happy when they win the show. I think the show has a perfect blend of skill and luck which means that truly all contestants have a chance – and this series there are some amazing winners for whom the stars (both metaphorically and literally) aligned”. For viewers, that means the new series is not just a return date; it is a refreshed line-up built to keep the celebrity format unpredictable from one episode to the next.
