Top Gear’s Freddie Flintoff gets TV boost as his cricket series is renewed for second season
THE BBC has been so bowled over by the success of Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams it has ordered a second series.
More than 3.3million tuned in to watch the ex- England cricketer’s efforts at getting children from poorer areas of his hometown Preston interested in the game.
The show became one of this year’s TV hits when it was screened in the summer.
Its follow-up sees Freddie take his young team, plus a few new recruits, on a fresh challenge.
He also catches up with some of the characters from the first series, including Afghan refugee and cricketing prodigy Adnan.
A TV insider said: “The first series went down a storm.
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"It was a no-brainer to make another.
"Freddie is a real star and his relationship with the kids and how he inspired them through cricket was truly moving.
"Viewers will be desperate to know how the youngsters have fared.”
Ashes hero Freddie was on a mission to convince them that the sport is not solely played by “posh people”.
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The Top Gear host formed a side of youngsters — who had never played — and took on an elite private school and team of veterans.
A fundraising campaign also led to a rundown sports club getting a makeover, so many of his young squad could continue playing.
Freddie said of the show’s return: “Working with the boys was one of the most incredible experiences of my life but the work is not finished yet. I’m really pleased we’ll be continuing the hard work.”
I can smell a Bafta.
LIZ HURLEY has told Loose Women viewers that a social media post she made helped two friends discover they had tumours, after checking themselves.
She said on the show yesterday: “Both found lumps. They were both diagnosed with cancer but they both found it really early.”
CHEL-SEE YOU SOON, GANG
HERE’S a bunch who have never set foot in a Toby Carvery.
The cast of Made In Chelsea have posed up for a new publicity shot to mark the new series of the E4 reality show.
It’s safe to say they’re not ones who endorse unedited, au-natural, filter-free images.
Indeed, this picture has had more top ups than the cast’s trust funds.
Series 24, which also stars show veterans including Ollie Locke and Olivia Bentley, starts on Monday, October 27.
The new series sees the gang back in West London feeling refreshed after their trip to Mallorca.
Their adventures on the Mediterranean Island featured in a special installment of the show which aired this summer.
It saw us introduced to four new characters and two of them - Issy and Willow - have stayed with the cast for the main series, which turns out to be a rollercoaster from episode one.
After hearing from Sam Prince that he recently kissed Inga and wants to make another go of it, Liv learns that Inga has also hooked up with Harvey.
But Sam has no idea.
Meanwhile, Liv goes head-to-head with Inga, but sparks fly when Maeva finds out that Liv is getting involved.
Elsewhere, Emily has some big news: she’s in love again.
Will her new man get Miles’ seal of approval?
Meanwhile, having not seen Miles since Mallorca, Issy is keen to find out if they can pick up where they left off, but Miles is having doubts and wants to ask some pressing questions.
Who needs Shakespeare, when you’ve got all this drama…
A sting in the Dale
EMMERDALE will be hit by a huge storm – and a herd of rampaging cows – for the soap’s 50th birthday.
Executive producer Jane Hudson said: “It will blow more than your socks off.
“There are deaths, there’s destruction but there’s also real moments of intimacy.
“We’re going to see our characters tested.
“There’s going to be a lot of tears. We’ll see the community deal with the aftermath.”
The action kicks off on October 16 but Jane added: “Just when you think things can’t get worse for our Emmerdale characters, they really, really do.
“We end the month on a really big bang that propels us well into the new year.”
Leftfield telly
IF you want to sample some leftfield telly then tune in to Wreck on BBC Three on Sunday at 10pm.
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The drama features a lunatic in a duck suit who goes around a cruise ship killing people - but despite appearances the whole thing was filmed in a freezing Michelin tyre factory in Northern Ireland.
Clever, crazy and fun, it’s worth taking a punt on if you don’t fancy yet more nature programmes or cookery shows this weekend.