Lee Mack is to co-host a new BBC show Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof with Holly Willoughby. The series will follow a group of celebrities as they undertake a series of challenges that will test them to their limits, both physically and mentally.
The celebrities taking part include musical theatre legend Alfie Boe OBE, who has had three UK number one albums and was catapulted to fame for playing Jean Valjean in Les Misérables on Broadway; and singer/songwriter, TV presenter and footballer, Chelcee Grimes, whose grounding in professional football sees her ready for the gruelling journey. Joining them is Strictly professional dancer, Dianne Buswell, who is also an Australian Open Champion as well as a four-time Amateur Australian Open finalist, and sports TV presenter and former international rhythmic gymnast Gabby Logan MBE, most famously known for her BBC coverage of football and the Olympic games.
There is also Welsh weatherman Owain Wyn Evans, who shot to fame with his viral drumming in 2021, completing a record-breaking 24-hour drumathon for Children in Need; and Patrice Evra is certainly not afraid of a challenge. The former captain of France’s national team is most known for winning the Premier League five times with Manchester United. They are joined by rapper and mental health advocate Professor Green and actress Tamzin Outhwaite, known for roles in Ridley Road, EastEnders and New Tricks.
The group will be living together in a tented village in sub-zero temperatures, surrounded by spectacular, icy scenes of Northern Italy. Each week will see them take on various challenges, which gradually become more daring as the series progresses.
Extreme athlete Wim Hof will be supervising the celebrities and guiding them through his series of radical challenges. Under his encouragement, the celebrities will reap the rewards of cold-water therapy and face a unique test of mental strength like no other.
Wim, ‘The Iceman’, has dedicated his life to showing others that they can achieve things they thought were impossible, by controlling his mind and body when running a half marathon above the Arctic circle barefoot, submerging himself in ice for 1hr 52 mins and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in just his shorts and shoes. He has been teaching the benefits of cold-water therapy for decades, with a huge following including A-listers and athletes around the world.
The series will be hosted by Wim Hof superfan Holly Willoughby and comedian Lee Mack, it is like nothing seen before and promises genuine reality, high drama, jeopardy, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof will air on BBC One from April 14.
