Soap star brothers Adam and Ryan Thomas are being lined up as presenters of a new weekend gameshow for ITV billed as Taskmaster meets Squid Game. The pair are already popular with viewers thanks to their appearances in Emmerdale and Coronation Street plus reality shows
Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice . Now the siblings are set to team up for the first time as presenters on 99 to Beat, a series with 100 contestants where the aim is simply not to come last in each of the daft games. Bosses believe the Thomas brothers’ cheeky banter and close relationship will appeal to fans of ITV stalwarts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly. It is understood that the pair have not yet officially signed for the show, but are in talks. One TV insider said: “This game show will bring plenty of laughs and needs happy-go-lucky hosts at the helm. Ryan and Adam fit the bill perfectly and it would be great to see the brothers working together as TV hosts for the first time. The could be a really exciting new chapter for them and should be a lot of fun. They are so natural together. Hey, it worked for Ant and Dec…” Ryan and Adam have been dubbed as the next Ant and Dec ( Image: ITV/Shutterstock) Already a hit in seven countries including the Netherlands and
Germany, 99 to Beat sees 100 players whittled down by “visually distinctive and often hilarious” games until the winner is the last person standing. Producers say that anyone can win and there is one rule to follow to be in with a chance of taking the jackpot - don’t come last, because if you do - you’re out. Examples of the games include trying to find a dummy hidden in a vat of jelly or putting on a frozen T-shirt. Producer Katie Manley, boss of production company Initial, said: “What’s brilliant about it is that anyone has a real shot at winning. Whether you’re 18 or 80, players don’t need to be experts in one particular skill. Winning is not important – it’s not coming last that counts! The human stories that sit alongside the gameplay will provide heart, humour and drama throughout.” ITV entertainment boss Katie Rawcliffe said viewers got to know the players over the eight-hour long episodes, which are likely to air in a weekend slot. “As the contestants compete they also form tight bonds and as they get to know each other, we get to see who plays well, who buckles under the pressure and who has lasting power.” Ryan, 39, is best known for playing Weatherfield's Jason Grimshaw from 2000 until 2016, joining the soap aged just 16. In 2018 he appeared in Celebrity Big Brother and he has since become a reality regular, appearing in Celebrity Masterchef and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. He dated his Corrie co-star Tina O’Brien for six years from 2003 and they have a daughter together. He is now engaged to former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, with whom he has two children after they met while taking part in Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. Adam, 35, found fame in school drama Waterloo Road, to which he has now returned, and is best known for playing Emmerdale’s Adam Barton from 2009-18. In 2016 he took part in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and last year he was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. He married long-term girlfriend Caroline Daly in 2017 and they have two children together. In 2020 the pair were joined by their other brother, Scott - who has appeared on
Love Island - and their dad Dougie, to investigate their paternal heritage for an ITV documentary called Absolutely India: Mancs in Mumbai. Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat ,
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