The Box may have only premiered on ITV over the weekend, but there’s already set to be a big change. With the quiz show opening to mixed reviews, the series is reportedly getting a schedule shake-up.
The new show is hosted by Gary Lineker, and sees 10 celebrities locked in a container. In order to get out, they must pass some physical and mental challenges, with one famous face being eliminated in each round.
The series aired its first two instalments over the weekend, with Graeme Souness and Sara Davies being the first celebrities to be eliminated. Still present are Danny Aarons, Ellie Taylor, Jenny Ryan, Joey Essex, John Bercow, JB Gill, Ranvir Singh and Shakira Khan.
Two Four//ITV
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The ITV series will return on Saturday (12 September) at 8.15pm, with the fourth episode airing the following night (Sunday 13 September) at 8pm. After that, however, there is set to be plenty of change.
TV Zone has reported that the schedule will be altered following the first four episodes, with the series airing on Sundays only from 20 September. Though not confirmed, it is rumoured that the return of Strictly Come Dancing on 19 September is a factor.
The Box has garnered a mixed response from critics so far, with The Guardian calling it “bizarre” in a three-star review. They likened it to Taskmaster with its sense of chaos, though opined that it was often chaotic without reason.
“The Box isn’t so much a gameshow as a sustained howl of existential confusion. A gameshow that scoffs in the face of convention yet seems bewildered by the bedlam that such showmanship inevitably unleashes,” they added.
Two Four//ITV
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The Independent echoed this sentiment in a two-star review as they dubbed it an “existential crisis in telly form”, adding: “There’s no real narrative here, no stakes and very little sense of momentum.”
“It’s not even particularly fun watching the stars go through minor humiliations, as each challenge feels slight and forgettable,” they continued, before calling it “scattershot and confounding”.
The Box airs on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.