THE GASCOIGNE family are slowly taking over every reality TV contest on the box.
Bianca appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in Italy, where her dad used to play football for Lazio, and her brother Regan triumphed on this year’s Dancing On Ice.
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Now dad Paul who also played for Newcastle, has signed up for new Channel 4 show Scared Of The Dark, where celebrities have their mettle tested by being denied light for days on end.
A TV insider said: “This will be a real endurance challenge for Gazza — but that’s the whole point of the show.
“Along with the other celebrities taking part he’ll have to survive in darkness for seven days in a specially constructed space.
“During that time he’ll also have to complete a series of thought-provoking tasks in order to keep his place in the contest.
“Despite the scale of the challenge, Gazza passed all his assessments with flying colors and filming on the program will start shortly.”
It’s the first time he’s appeared on an entertainment show in the UK since he was on The Weakest Link in 2009, back when it was still hosted by Anne Robinson.
But he’s not been completely absent from our screens.
Earlier this year he made a cameo in a BBC documentary about his life.
And last year he appeared on the Italian version of I’m A Celebrity, causing quite a sensation with his naked sun-bathing.
He had to quit the show after 38 days because he dislocated his shoulder during one of the food trials.
It was so severe he had to be airlifted to hospital.
Just imagine what he’s going to be like doing more challenges in the dark.
Best have the air ambulance at the ready again.
Sit on the of-fence? Not Ricky
RICKY GERVAIS doesn’t see the funny side of cancel culture, saying some of his fellow comedians are being deliberately “stitched up”.
His comments come after Jimmy Carr and Dave Chappelle got into trouble for including controversial material in their sets.
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Ricky says: “There is nothing you can say that someone, somewhere in the world, will not find offensive.
“Often it’s faux offence, they just want to be heard.”
The comic released his stand-up special SuperNature on Netflix in May, which includes jokes about obesity and disabled toddlers.
Speaking on his Vlog, Ricky adds of the audience: “You don’t know these people and what they may have gone through. It’s mad to try and second guess.
“If you had to do a comedy show where nobody could be offended, you couldn’t do it.”
still mates
FORMER Strictly star and Invictus Games medalist JJ Chalmers has revealed he is still in touch with Prince Harry, who talks about his son Archie.
He told the Radio Times: “Now that we both have kids, we just do dad chat.
“I know that Archie loves The Octonauts and my son James loves it, too.”
Rewind to 1940s with BBC
THE BBC has unearthed thousands of hours of footage to create an amazing new archive as part of its centenary celebrations.
Stars including Sir David Attenborough, The Queen and Paul McCartney feature in the material, which dates back to the 1940s.
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The Rewind project includes footage of 1960s schoolkids providing observations on marriage, as well as the story of 500 Polish people still living in an immigration camp in Devon 20 years after World War Two.
Executive editor James Stirling said: “By breathing new life into stories which have laid dormant for years, audiences will be able to discover recordings which can help us all learn more about who we are.”
Hot as Chelle
THERE’S still a few weeks to go before Strictly Come Dancing announces its new celebrity pairings for this year’s series.
But new professional Michelle Tsiakkas looks hot to trot already in these strappy silver heels and colorful silk dress.
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The leggy Latin dancer was out in London to celebrate a reunion with her Burn The Floor dance tour pals, including fellow Strictly pro Nancy Xu.
The tour also featured Strictly’s Dianne Buswell and Graziano Di Prima.
Plummer role for Maureen
SOAP stars often quit to try to make it big in Hollywood or star in the next Netflix smash hit.
Not Maureen Lipman, though, who is more than happy with her lot.
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The Educating Rita star has signed up for another year on Coronation Street as Evelyn Plummer.
Chatting about the soap, she told Reader’s Digest: “I won’t hear a word against it. It’s full of quite exceptional actors working with very little rehearsal, very little direction.
“Am I envious of some of my peers? Sometimes, yes.
“Do I have the right to be? Of course not.
“Would I like to be in Sex Education? Yes, of course.
“Am I sorry I’ve signed up with Corrie for another year? No, I’m not.”
Maureen first won the hearts of Corrie fans in 2018, when she first arrived as Evelyn, the long-lost nan of mainstay Tyrone Dobbs.
wardrobe malfunction
CHANNEL 5 news host Dan Walker almost had a wardrobe malfunction as he prepared to take on presenting duties yesterday.
I tweeted: “Forgot my TV trousers and shirt today.” Thankfully, the former BBC Breakfast frontman said someone came to the rescue and he was on air as usual at 5pm.
Love at first bite with Gino
GINO D’ACAMPO is ticking all the genre boxes with his new dating show.
The celebrity chef is after singletons who love to travel and cook to spend a summer looking for romance in his native Italy.
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A casting call has gone out ahead of filming for the new ITV format.
It reads: “We’re looking for singletons who fancy traveling abroad to learn the art of Italian cuisine with the one and only Gino.
“Whether you are a culinary chef or a kitchen mess, we want to hear from you.”
He is also busy on another new series for ITV called Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used To Make to accompany his new book of the same name.