Rob Brydon has admitted that he came close to spoiling his new BBC series after making a near-egregious mistake.
For many avid TV watchers, this writer included, it’s been a while since we’ve had a gripping gameshow to sink our teeth into in the absence of The Traitors.
Granted, we do have the celebrity version of the series launching very soon, but there’s still an excruciating wait until that day comes.
Fortunately for us, there’s now a new competition on the horizon that’ll hopefully scratch the itch in the best way possible – Destination X.
Hosted by Gavin and Stacey star Rob, the show will see 13 competitors ride on a bus with blacked-out windows as they try to figure out where on Earth they are… literally.
At the end of each episode, the contestants must place an X on a map to guess where in the world they are, and whoever’s furthest away from the actual destination is eliminated, missing out on reaching the end and bagging the coveted £100,000 prize.
What is Destination X? All you need to know
How does Destination X work?
On the new BBC programme Destination X, 13 contestants are going up against each other to win a £100,000 prize.
All they need to do? Guess where in the world they are. However, it’s not that simple.
They’re travelling around on a bus with blacked-out windows, and have to also occasionally wear special goggles to prevent them from seeing their surroundings.
They do have clues that they can use to suss their location, but some of these clues could be red herrings.
Has Destination X been on TV before?
This is the first time that Destination X has aired in the UK, but this isn’t the first iteration of the competition.
The American version of the show launched earlier this year in May over in the US, helmed by The Walking Dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
The series was originally based on the Belgian TV series Bestemming X, which premiered in February 2023.
When is Destination X on TV?
Destination X launches on Wednesday July 30 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
There will be two episodes a week, airing on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
In each episode, the participants must try to decipher all sorts of clues to figure out their location – but on one occasion, Rob came extraordinarily close to giving the game away.
‘All the time when we are out and about on our travels, they are trying to keep players in the dark, so they aren’t allowed to see anything, but more importantly to hear anything,’ the 60-year-old said.
‘For example, if a crew member went off to buy a coffee, they had to be careful not to come back with a branded coffee cup that might give away the name of where they were.’
Then one time, the Would I Lie To You? host made a huge slip-up… which thankfully went unnoticed.
‘I remember once we were at a particular location and I knew that in a few days’ time we would be at another location and I said to somebody in the production team: “Oh I can’t wait until we get to X,” and then I suddenly realised one of the players was close and I thought “Oh no what have you done?” – Luckily, they didn’t hear me!’
Rob lucked out there, that’s for sure!
While the actor and comedian has extensive experience on TV and in entertainment in general, Destination X is unlike any project he’s ever done before.
‘I’ve never done a TV show on this scale before. I loved the idea of it, the combination of having to work out clues as to where you are and having to get on with each other. It struck me as the best bits of The Traitors with the best bits of Race Across the World,’ he shared.
‘The other thing that attracted me was the scale of it and being a part of a show as ambitious as this, with as huge a crew and as huge a team. I knew it would be a real challenge to see if I could steer that ship.’
He admitted that he was ‘surprised at how invested’ he became in the series, a realisation that took barely any time at all.
‘You get involved with the contestants and you feel for them when they are struggling, and you celebrate with them when they do well. It was a far more involving experience than I was expecting,’ he stated
Destination X launches on Wednesday, July 30, at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. There will be two episodes a week, airing on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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