Blow for Mark Wright as new BBC show is axed just days after his birthday celebrations
MARK WRIGHT goes on plenty of holidays each year, so perhaps he won’t mind missing out on one.
I can reveal the BBC will not be making a return visit to his travelogue series, A Wright Family Holiday.
The show, which originally aired last summer, featured the former Towie star, his footballer brother Josh and dad Mark Snr exploring domestic tourist attractions and was dubbed the Beeb’s version of ITV hit Breaking Dad, starring Bradley Walsh and his son Barney.
But despite hopes that the Wright family could be set for a new adventure, potentially over-seas, it seems the Essex clan will now be staying put.
A TV insider said: “The series was always going to be a suck-it-and-see job.
“If it went down well with audiences and got healthy viewing figures, the BBC would have been tempted to maybe explore another series. The Wrights would have been up for it, but it wasn’t to be.
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“The consolation, though, is that the BBC is still keen to work with them and they could be offered another type of show in the future.”
The Wrights travelled from Scotland to Cornwall, also exploring Wales en route, while filming their six-part series.
In one particularly memorable scene, Mark Snr blacked out during a daredevil bungee jump, which sparked a serious health scare.
Meanwhile Josh used the series to embark on challenges he previously was not allowed to try owing to former pro club contracts.
But despite their trip being a one-off, the Wrights have plenty of great memories.
VICKY'S OUTFIT BOMBED
FILMING the second series of Trigger Point was heavy going for Vicky McClure.
The actress opted to wear a real bomb disposal suit instead of a lightweight replica in scenes and admits it made shooting exhausting.
And Vicky – who will return as explosives officer Lana Washington in the ITV series on Sunday at 9pm – didn’t do any extra training to help with the blast suit, which can weigh over 30kg.
She said: “The bomb disposal suit isn’t comfortable at all. It’s so incredibly heavy and that was so tough.
“I’d be joking if I said I ran around in weights, and I was at the gym twice a day. That’s not what I did as I’m not that kind of person. I just live on tension and my nerves to do it.
“Besides, I’d rather everybody watches me struggle with the real deal than look heroic and cool.”
ALPY DAYS, MICHELLE
JUST because Mark Wright’s TV travelogue has been grounded, it hasn’t stopped him and wife Michelle Keegan jetting off for a skiing trip.
Michelle had a lot to celebrate on the break after her new Netflix series Fool Me Once, in which she plays ex-soldier Maya Stern, became the streaming giant’s No1 show globally.
And while it looked chilly for the ex-Corrie actress in the Alps, things have been hotting up back home for the story’s author, Harlan Coben.
Netflix has commissioned the writer for TWO more series, based on his thrillers, Missing You and Run Away.
A TV insider revealed: “Harlan Coben is known around the world for his novels and many of them have already been adapted into Netflix series.
“But now he will be celebrating a further two, based on his best-sellers written in 2014 and 2019.”
THRILLER BURIED BY BBC
THE BBC is working on a new thriller starring Merlin actor Colin Morgan and The Serial Killer’s Wife star Annabel Scholey.
Dead And Buried will see the pair play Cathy and Michael, who meet two decades after Cathy’s brother is murdered – a crime which Michael was convicted over.
It follows Cathy’s obsession with the killer after learning he has forged a successful career and happy family life after being released from prison.
Across four episodes, she instigates a relationship with the man she hates to act out her dark fantasies of revenge.
Colin said: “This is a dark, funny, and compulsive new drama. I can’t wait for it to pull viewers along its twisted path.”
Dead And Buried will air later this year on the BBC and Virgin Media TV.
KATHERINE: WHY I AM DOG TIRED
KATHERINE RYAN has revealed motherhood has seen her work like a dog – and sleep like one too.
The Canadian comedian, who reveals all about her family life in new fly-on-the-wall reality show Parental Guidance, opens up about co-sleeping with her two younger children in the first episode.
But despite calling in some expert assistance, she’s still not kipping in the same bed as husband Bobby Koostra.
Katherine said: “I would love it if my kids would just happily sleep through the night and I could get back into bed with Bobby.
“But after a visit from a specialist nanny, it’s only worked out for one of us.
“Bobby used to be in the master bedroom with Fred and me in the spare room with Fenna, but now I’m in the spare room with both kids and Bobby has the master to himself.
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“Instead, I just sleep at the foot of the kids’ beds like a dog…”
- Parental Guidance is on W and UKTV on February 5 at 9pm.