The show challenges celebrities to swim with sharks
Call the Midwife star Helen George has been confirmed for a new "wildly entertaining" series from ITV.
Titled SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters, the new entertainment show will challenge a group of ocean-fearing celebrities to face nature’s most terrifying underwater predator – sharks.
Confirming the line-up today, ITV revealed that Ade Adepitan, Sir Lenny Henry, Ross Noble, Dougie Poynter, Lucy Punch, and Rachel Riley will be joining George on the show.
Set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, the show is described as an "adrenaline-fueled, challenge-heavy journey in the Bahamas".
Each celebrity will be tasked with diving with a different species of shark, with each breed getting bigger and more dangerous with each turn.
The show will take place on Bimini, the Bahamas island, which is home to around 10 different types of shark including Bull sharks, Hammerheads and Tiger sharks.
Speaking about the show, Karen Plumb, Head of Factual Entertainment at Plimsoll Productions, said: "The team at Plimsoll is uniquely positioned to pioneer this format that blends conservation with wildly entertaining pop culture.
"We’re constantly looking for innovative approaches to wildlife storytelling and are certain that our fish-out-of-water spin – delivering 50 years after Jaws – will transform the world’s perception of these critical predators before it’s too late."
As well as swimming with sharks, the celebrities will also "face fear inducing challenges" along the way while learning about the role sharks play in our ecosystem and in the oceans.
Per the press release, the show hopes to provide a new perspective on the misunderstood creatures, and will see the group of celebrities learn about the predator's "valuable place on the food chain and in our ecosystem, recognizing that a world devoid of these notoriously terrifying creatures is downright frightening".
SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters is coming soon to ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
