Davina McCall admits she was “amazed” that The Jump was renewed
"I didn't think we'd be able to get people back on it" the Channel 4 presenter tells The Jonathan Ross Show
After Channel 4 series The Jump saw various contestants (including Rebecca Adlington, Heather Mills, Beth Tweddle, Tina Hobley and Tom Parker) hospitalised earlier this year, many people were surprised to see the skiing competition renewed for 2017 – host Davina McCall among them.
"I was amazed [it was renewed] because I didn't think we'd be able to get people back on it,” she tells The Jonathan Ross Show this weekend. “But apparently people still want to do the show which is great. They're amazing."
Speaking more generally about the risk the series brought, she adds: "If you think of anybody going away on a ski holiday for a week your chances of getting injured on that holiday are extremely high but these guys are out there for two months, skiing all day every day and then doing crazy things like The Skeleton.
"They're really dangerous... And a jump obviously. They are trained… Accidents happen… They all have an amazing time, the camaraderie is fantastic, everybody hangs out together all the time, they are learning to do extraordinary things, and the thrill I think that they get from it... I'm not on skis, I'm not allowed. They can't have the presenter on crutches.
"It was a bit like Don't Try This at Home. I really worried about that as well... All I can say is that they're given the best care and they are taught by the best teachers and love bombed for the entire time they're there. And they're willing, they want to do it, we're not forcing them out there."
Hopefully there are still enough celebrity thrill-seekers out there to fill up the next series – as well as an ample substitution bench for the injured…
The Jonathan Ross show airs on ITV tomorrow (Saturday 24th September) at 10.20pm
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
