Challenge Anneka: Channel 5 shares the first-look and release date for Anneka Rices' reboot

Virgin Radio

27 Sep 2022, 13:00

Telly legend Anneka Rice is returning to the beloved Challenge Anneka series, and we now have the first-look and start date too!

Earlier this year, Channel 5 announced the return of Challenge Anneka more than 30 years after the show first aired. It featured the presenter taking on a huge challenge each episode, such as building a health centre or a school against the clock, with the help of the public and local businesses.

Channel 5 stirred up some hype for the reincarnation with a first-look photo of Anneka on social media, with the Strictly Come Dancing alum riding in a new blue Challenge Anneka car. It also seems that the iconic jumpsuit has been replaced with a bright orange jacket. 

The smiling snap was captioned with: “She's back! @AnnekaRice begins filming for her first challenge.”

And we don’t have too long to wait as Channel 5 also confirmed Challenge Anneka would return to screens in “early 2023.”

The original Challenge Anneka series aired on BBC One from 1989 until 1995, and was brought back in 2006 by ITV, with two specials on Boxing Day that year. 

The format of seeing Anneka take on completely new tasks with no knowledge of what she would be doing was first tested on the 1987 Children in Need broadcast, and lots of her challenges from then on helped out charitable causes. 

After the exciting announcement was made, Anneka stopped by The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, and when chatting about the process of getting the format back on TV, she explained: “There’s been whispers for years, because anytime anyone talks to me about doing anything on telly, after about ten minutes the conversation always comes back to Challenge, and all the broadcasters have discussed it with me. 

“Some wanted me to do it as a comedy thing, because I’m now doing stand-up comedy, and they wanted me and a comedian doing it together, and it just never felt right.”

The new episodes on Channel 5 will see Anneka reunited with Dave the Soundman from the original series to help out four new good causes. She said: “It was the alchemy of Ben Frow at Channel 5, who just went, ‘No, I just want it as it was, no gimmicks.’ And you know, that was right, because at the end of the day, it is literally just about kindness, community, and the power of collective. It’s not about gimmicks at all. Well, apart from the truck!”

She continued: “He just said, ‘I want it back. I want you and Dave the Soundman. I want the truck and the buggy.’ And that was like a breath of fresh air. He just said, ‘We’re going to make this happen.’”

Challenge Anneka will return in 2023.