±«Óãtv

Hosted by David Mitchell and screening from Friday 19 February at 10.00pm, The Bubble is a new comedy news-quiz for ±«Óãtv Two which plays on the fact that some news stories are so hard to believe you'd think they'd been made up. In this show some of them have.

Each week three celebrity contestants – a mixture of comedians, smart celebrities and wild-card bookings – are locked away in a media-free zone, "the bubble", for four days. No phones, no television, no internet access.

When they're brought out into the studio, they're shown a series of news reports, headlines and images from TV, newspapers and celebrity gossip magazines. All they have to do is identify the true stories from the fakes.

Because they've been away and out of touch – just like when you come back from a holiday – they'll believe almost anything. And truth is so often stranger than anything they could possibly imagine...

Guests confirmed to date include: Frank Skinner, Reginald D Hunter and Victoria Coren for the first show; Germaine Greer, Ed Byrne and Jon Richardson; Sue Perkins, Clive Anderson and Sarah Millican; Andy Hamilton, Marcus Brigstocke and Julia Hartley Brewer for show four, with further announcements to follow.

David Mitchell comments: "It's a damning indictment of the state of the world and our society that so many prominent and talented people are willing to isolate themselves from it, if only for a few days. But it's good news for The Bubble. My only worry is: 'What if they refuse to come out?'"

Jimmy Mulville, Managing Director of Hat Trick, says: "We are looking forward to bringing this popular game-show format to the UK. It's originality, comic approach to current affairs and exploration of our culture's obsession with staying in touch make it a unique and appealing game show."

Katie Taylor, Entertainment Executive for the ±«Óãtv, adds: "We look forward to bringing this innovative comic news format to our audiences. The show has enjoyed international success and will complement our growing portfolio of entertainment shows."

Armoza Format's popular game show format has already been successfully broadcast in several territories, including Israel (Channel 10), Denmark (DR1), and Poland (TVP2), with several pilots in production in key English-speaking territories around the world.

The series is produced by Nick Martin. The executive producers are Richard Wilson for Hat Trick Productions and Katie Taylor for the ±«Óãtv.

AN

Information for viewers

More content about The Bubble will be published, as transmission approaches, on this page: