BBC One revives Superstars for Olympic special

BBC One is to revive popular sporting entertainment show Superstars for a one-off Olympic special which will air over the festive period.

Sixteen of London 2012’s British Olympic heroes (eight men, eight women) will compete against each other to be crowned the ‘two best all-round Superstars’. The contestants will participate in eight different disciplines – on the track in the 100 metres and 800 metres, on the field in the javelin, take to the pool in a 50 metre swim and test their archery skills. The sporting contestants will tackle a kayak race and use their cycling skills in a hill climb. Their efforts will culminate in a grand finale featuring the classic Superstars event – the gym tests.
Taking part are:
Alistair Brownlee, Olympic gold winner, Triathlon
Jonathan Brownlee, Olympic bronze winner, Triathlon
Mo Farah, Olympic double gold champion for 5,000 and 10,000 metres
Robbie Grabarz, Olympic bronze medal winner, High Jump
Michael Jamieson, Olympic silver medallist in 200 metres breast stroke
Anthony Joshua, Olympic gold winner, Boxing (Super Heavy weight)
Andrew Triggs Hodge, Olympic gold winner, Rowing (Coxless Four)
Peter Wilson, Olympic gold winner, Shooting (Double Trap)
Nicola Adams, Olympic gold medal winner, Boxing
Lizzie Armitstead, Olympic silver medal winner, Cycling (Road Race)
Laura Bechtolsheimer, Olympic gold and bronze medal winner, Dressage
Gemma Gibbons, Olympic silver medallist, Judo
Helen Glover, Olympic gold medal winner, women’s coxless pair
Katherine Grainger, Olympic gold winner, Double Sculls
Jade Jones, Olympic gold winner, Taekwondo
Christine Ohuruogu, Olympic silver medal winner, 400 metres
London 2012 bronze medallist, swimmer Rebecca Adlington, will act as a mentor to all the athletes in the swimming event.
Fresh from her success as one of the faces of the BBC’s London 2012 coverage, Gabby Logan will oversee the proceedings, she will be following in the footsteps of her father, former professional footballer Terry Yorath, who also featured on Superstars during the 1970s.

The Superstars 2012 games will be shot in front of an eager crowd at the University of Bath, which boasts state of the art sporting facilities. The grand finale will see the competitors battle in the historic setting of the city’s Assembly Rooms.

Gabby Logan said: “I am thrilled to be hosting this special edition of Superstars; we have an incredible line-up of Olympic heroes. What an opportunity for them to compete against each other across a range of diverse physical challenges. My dad was on Superstars back in the late 70s and as a kid it was one of my favourite shows.”
Mo Farah (Athletics Endurance – 5,000m/10,000m) said: “Superstars is going to be a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to it. After a hard season it will be nice to compete in a different environment. Some of the events are quite new to me which will make it all the more interesting.”

Superstars 2012 was commissioned by Danny Cohen, Controller of BBC One and Mark Lindsey, Controller of Entertainment Commissioning.