Castaway to return to BBC

The original reality television programme, Castaway, is set to return to the BBC five years after the first series was broadcast.
Just like before, the new programme will feature people going to live as a community in a remote destination – but with some new twists in the social experiment. This time round the programmes will be live and they will be coming from a new, exotic location.
Lion Television, who will be making the series for BBC One and BBC Three, are currently looking for volunteers to take part.
The people chosen to be castaways will reflect all aspects of British life: all ages; all backgrounds; a variety of skills or none; and with a range of personalities.
The castaways will explore the best ways to live in close quarters with people that they may not have much in common with, draw on personal skills to develop the infrastructure of the island and, in the process, discover more about themselves as individuals.
The series will be shown on BBC One and BBC Three and has been commissioned by Elaine Bedell with Peter Fincham (BBC One) and Julian Bellamy (BBC Three).
The original series of Castaway began broadcasting on BBC One in January 2000, six months before Big Brother first appeared on Channel 4. The series was a ratings hit, with viewing figures peaking at 7-8 million.
Thirty six people went to spend a year living on the Scottish island of Taransay, building their own shelters and fending for themselves in a community.
This time, the location will be on the other side of the world in order to take the Castaways even further from their current lives. Full details of the location will be announced in due course.
Peter Fincham, Controller of BBC One said: "It’s really exciting to think Castaway will be back on BBC One. Fans of the previous series will recognise it, but we’ve got a few twists and surprises up our sleeve."
Jeremy Mills, Managing Director and Executive Producer for Lion Television, who created the original concept, said: "I’m delighted that we are able to return to Castaway five years on. It was exciting to be at the forefront of this type of programme and we’re now looking forward to being able to take the idea forwards, incorporating everything we learnt then and since about making entertaining shows with an underlying purpose. One of the elements that marks Castaway out is that it really changed many of the people’s lives for the better and I’m excited about seeing what happens this time. This is reality television with a purpose."
(GB)