Royal Family member will go to PRISON for new ITV show – as viewers brace for explosive clashes
A ROYAL Family member will go to PRISON for a new ITV show – and viewers are anticipating some explosive clashes.
Mike Tindall is set to go behind bars to face both physical and emotional challenges in two-part series, Grand Slammers.
The former England rugby legend, and husband to Zara Tindall, will be building a formidable squad of inmates to go head to head with an Australian team.
He will have to train and inspire his men to beat their opponent, which is expected to spark confrontations and revelations that will test both the Royal dad-of-three’s muscles – and mind.
It could come as a shock following his last TV stint, which saw him dumped in the Jungle.
The 44-year-old stunned I’m A Celeb viewers with some controversial stories about fellow members of the Royal Family.
And, fans are on the edge of their seat to discover what bombshells could be revealed on Grand Slammers.
HMP The Mount could push Tindall to breaking point, as it makes an uncomfortable change from the 700-acre estate on which he lives now.
Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire is home to Princess Anne but the rugby star also resides their with Zara, daughters Mia, and Lena, as well as son Lucas Phillip.
But, now the dad will be locked up with fellow England Rugby team players as well as captain Martin Johnson.
Icons Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Phil Vickery, Jason Robinson, Will Greenwood, Ben Cohen, and Matt Dawson will also be caged together.
This will see the previous Rugby World Cup winners working together again for the first time in two decades.
They will be forming and training a new team of inmates at HMP The Mount – home to one of the only remaining rugby pitches inside an adult male English prison.
The sporting legends will have to inspire the group to claim victory against a strong rival, the Aussies.
It will end with a dramatic finale, as both squads battle it out in their recreation of the historic Rugby World Cup final in 2003.
Tindall, along with his team, aim to show the positive impact of sport and demonstrate the transformative effect it had on their lives.
This comes as research revealed half of all prisoners re-offend within a year of their release.
Grand Slammers is hoping to showcase the power of sport and how it could potentially help lower re-offending statistics.
Kate Teckman, Head of Development, Factual Entertainment at ITV said: “In this new series we’ll see some of the greatest sporting heroes England has ever produced reunite on the pitch for the first time in 20 years to go into a prison and build a rugby a team with men who live their lives behind bars.
“For some of these England legends, rugby presented a positive pathway and an opportunity to fulfil their potential.
“So, with re-offending rates from ex-prisoners at an alarming level, these World Cup winners are engaging with young men who’ve made big mistakes to show them how the game they love can offer the possibility of taking positive steps to move forward.
“At a moment when rugby will be in the spotlight, during this autumn’s Rugby World Cup, Grand Slammers will provide a revealing insight into both England’s legends and the power of the sport that has defined so much of their lives.”
Grand Slammers will air on ITV during this year’s Rugby World Cup, with the tournament also to be shown exclusively on ITV.