A brand new death-defying reality series begins on Monday night, with Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters premiering at 9pm on ITV.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to watch big-name celebrities like Helen George, Lucy Punch and Rachel Riley share the sea with a bunch of sharks, then look no further.
The six-part series will see seven celebrities pushed to the limit as they face one of humanity’s biggest fears, all while trying to help dispel the stigma surrounding the prehistoric creatures.
The Bahamas might be a luxury holiday destination, but they’re also home to more than 40 different species of shark, earning it the title of ‘Shark Capital of the World’.
The famous faces jetting off to The Bahamas will be getting help from the show’s shark experts, but they will still have to face parts of the challenge alone.
Which celebrities are taking part?
Sir Lenny Henry is perhaps the biggest name in the Shark! Celebrity Infest Waters cast list, with the veteran comedian and TV presenter, 66, ready to take on the challenge.
Speaking about signing up (via Radio Times), he said: ‘I didn’t have that cartoon special effect where my eyeballs jumped out of my head. I considered it and thought, “Actually, I’d love to do that.”‘
McFly bassist and I’m A Celeb winner Dougie Poynter, 37, who’s joining Sir Lenny in The Bahamas, told Metro and other media that the show left no room for any ‘egos’ in the camp.
‘We supported each other while doing something so dangerous,’ he said. ‘There was no room for ego. We had a buddy systemit was literally our job to make sure our gear was on right, and our mates’ gear.’
Despite the ITV show’s intense premise, Rachel Riley, 39, told us that the series is ‘warm and funny’ and promised viewers that, while the series has a message, nothing would be ‘rammed down your throat’.
However, the Countdown star also revealed the danger that the celebrities put themselves into: ‘It’s mentioned in the programme there was a fatality in [the place we were swimming through] in 2024.’
TV and film star Lucy Punch, 47, said that, while ‘traditional wildlife shows preach to the converted’, the family focus of Shark” Celebrity Infested Waters will ‘bring in a whole new audience’.
Comedian and actor Ross Noble, 49, concurred with Dougie and Lucy, saying that the entire cast ‘just got on’ with one another, adding to the family spirit of the show.
Speaking to Metro, CBBC presenter and wheelchair basketball star Ade Adepitan, 52, called Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters a ‘genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience’.
‘I feel I could travel and spend all my life going around meeting people – and very, very few of them would be able to say they’ve swum with tiger sharks.’
However, he revealed that watching Steven Spielberg’s classic shark attack film Jaws before he was a teenager might have been a little bit of a mistake.
‘I watched Jaws when I was nine years old but I shouldn’t have watched it. If someone had told me back then that decades later I would be diving with sharks… even when I hear [the Jaws music] my blood pressure goes up.’
Celebrity number seven, 41-year-old actress Helen George, said that taking part in the reality show was an ‘incredible experience’ after pushing herself to confront her fear of swimming.
The Call the Midwife star told Metro and other media ‘I was terrified of putting my head underwater. I have a real deep-rooted fear. I used to love the water when I was really young, but I went to a swimming party when I was six.
‘They put those weird 90s foam mats down. They’re massive yoga mats, really. I just remember this moment of being stuck underneath one and not being able to get out. There was that fear of being trapped.’
She continued: ‘From then, I got it in my head about not putting my head underwater… The mats were on top, and no one knew I was down there.’
What is Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters about?
While Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters will focus on seven celebrities swimming with sharks, producers of the show hope that viewers will learn a few lessons as well.
The celebrities will be accompanied in their challenges by shark scientist Dr. Tristan Guttridge, marine biologist Danni Washington, and shark-attack survivor Paul de Gelder.
‘Coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of Jaws, the show will challenge ocean-fearing celebrities to face nature’s most terrifying underwater predator – sharks,’ ITV previously said about the show.
The producers explained: ‘With the 50th anniversary of Jaws acting as a timely cultural touchpoint, the series sets out to reframe the shark narrative – from fear and sensationalism to fascination and conservation.
‘Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters has a dual mission: deliver thrilling entertainment while deepening public understanding of sharks and their fragile ecosystems.’
ITV is aiming for their latest celebrity shark swimming reality show to be more serious than the 2005 show Celebrity Shark Bait, which saw four celebrities face sharks in South Africa.
Watch Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters on ITV, Monday at 9pm.
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