Channel 4 is reportedly "sparing little expense" on the new series of 'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins'.
Maisie Smith on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins
The broadcaster has axed the civilian version of the intense military training show but producers are looking to get an all star cast for the celebrity edition with filming this summer shifting from Thailand to New Zealand.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "With the axe falling on the civilian version of SAS, Channel 4 wanted to reaffirm its commitment to the celebrity version.
“So they’re sparing little expense to make it a bumper offering, including extending the series, which started with just five episodes in 2019, to eight.
"It just remains to be seen which famous faces sign up for the show.”
It comes after Channel 4 confirmed it was scrapping the civilian version of 'SAS: Who Dares Wins' after eight series.
The celebrity edition was launched four years later in 2019, and given that it has a bigger audience than the original bosses have decided to prioritise that version.
A spokeswoman said: "Due to the huge success of 'Celebrity SAS' we have shifted our focus to prioritise this strand.”
Last year, the show's former Chief Instructor Ant Middleton was sacked due to "personal conduct".
And he previously admitted ‘Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins’ is “a lot softer” since he left.
The 42-year-old army veteran doesn’t tune in to watch his replacement Rudy Reyes on the star-studded Channel 4 military endurance show - which has featured the likes of Katie Price, Ulrika Jonsson, Calum Best, Maisie Smith and Pete Wicks - after the 51-year-old former Marine claimed he was a “misogynist”.
Ant - who denied the claims - told The Sun newspaper: “'SAS' is a lot softer now. I don’t watch it.
“A lot of celebrities ring me and tell me they’ve been asked to do the show but won’t, partly out of loyalty to me and partly because they say, ‘What would I get out of it? It’s gone soft.' "
Tagged in Katie Price Ulrika Jonsson Maisie Smith