The presenter and actress is presenting a primetime celebrity version of The Inner Circle as well as a 25-episode run for weekday afternoons
Amanda Holden persuaded some of her closest pals to take part in a Saturday-night celebrity primetime spin-off of her new BBC daytime quiz The Inner Circle.
Her actor friends Sarah Parish, Tamzin Outhwaite and Fay Ripley went to Scotland to appear in the new Traitors-style six-parter, in which an all-star cast try to outsmart each other – and aid their non-celebrity partners – in order to win big cash prizes.
Amanda said that having her friends on the show had been fun as they had all thrown themselves into the game, in which the contestants are not only tested on what they know, but on who they can trust.
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The series has been described as a quiz version of The Traitors because it relies on mystery and treachery, with contestants competing in games and challenges to build up prize pot.
What they take home depends on who they can trust – and whether they get stabbed in back. Under the rules, they have to team up with others for shot at the prize – but the twist is they can either back or betray each other at the very end in order to grab the whole lot.
“Amongst the celebs are some of my inner circle who came up to Scotland to take part including Sarah Parish, Tamzin Outhwaite and Fay Ripley,” she explained. “They’re all my mates which was brilliant because it was a good excuse to see them in my dressing room for a quick glass of fizz after filming.
“Tamzin and Sarah were worried their general knowledge would let them down, but I was really impressed with them.” The Britain’s Got Talent star – who has long wanted to host a TV quiz – says she could predict their gameplay because she knows them so well.
“They were really good – none of them are very good liars!” she laughed. “I was able to sort of say, ‘Listen, I’ve known Tamzin for 20 years,’ or, ‘I’ve known Sarah for nearly 30 years, and she doesn’t lie very well, so you’ve got a good one there’. However, it depends how you look at it because you have to be a good liar to get through the show sometimes; nobody wants to be sent home early.”
Other stars who took part included GMB’s Charlotte Hawkins, Olympian Colin Jackson, ex-EastEnder Danielle Harold, TV presenter Jeff Brazier, singer JB Gill, TV presenter Zara McDermott and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson.
Six regular players are each paired with a celeb and each duo randomly assigned a secret stash of cash ranging between zero to £5,000. But each pair only knows their own value, and must use strategic gameplay across the challenging rounds to uncover who has got what. In each round the winner gains immunity and one player is voted off – until two are left in the final.
Amanda, 54, said she’d been impressed by the stars who took part, who also included TV’s Kaye Adams, sports ace Sam Quek, actor Nina Wadia and former Blue Peter star Sarah Greene – plus athlete turned Gladiator Montell Douglas. “Legend from Gladiators was super competitive,” she recalled. “Ricky Wilson was competitive, and JJ Chalmers really impressed me, he knows his stuff.”
The 25-part daytime series – plus the six-part celebrity editions – will air on BBC1 from October.
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