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Gladiators Licensing Feud: Butlins and TV Producer Dan Baldwin at Odds

BBG News

Holly Willoughby’s TV producer husband Dan Baldwin is reportedly embroiled in a row with Butlins over Gladiators licensing.

Attend an event hosted by Butlins, where young people can interact with and get to know the celebrities from the popular game show in real life.

To be completely honest, I was genuinely puzzled when the cast appeared in simple black tracksuits instead of the flamboyant attire they don on our beloved BBC series. It had me scratching my head and questioning if we were watching the same program!

As well as the this, the staging behind them was said to be completely free of any logos or branding. 

A source told The Sun that it’s Dan’s company, Hungry Bear Media, who were behind the deal with Butlins – and the two have now seemingly got into disagreement.

It appears there has been a disagreement between Dan’s Hungry Bear Media and Butlin’s regarding this matter.

The outcome led them to appear on a stage devoid of any television branding, dressed entirely in black attire.

The locations available for the experience, which is described on the Butlins website as a 30-minute experience followed by 60-minute Meet and Greet, are Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness.

TopMob has contacted a representative for Dan for comment. Butlin’s told TopMob: ‘We can confirm our ‘Meet the Stars of Gladiators’ experience is still very much taking place this year at Butlin’s.’

‘Due to external commitments, they will no longer be appearing on a small number of dates and all impacted guests have been notified. We’ve added in our exclusive ‘Masked Singer Live’ show in its place. We are very sorry for any disappointment caused.’

It comes after the news that Holly is reportedly being tipped to become the next Cilla Black, with the presenter lining up a string of big-money deals worth up to £10million.

The presenter, who is 44 years old, has decided not to continue her association with ITV, as she turned down an invitation to participate in a full season of the revived game show You Bet! and the flagship series Dancing On Ice may be discontinued.

Sources are claiming that with Holly now firmly on a new path in her career following her exit from This Morning, she is set to line up several lucrative deals from streamers, including a second series of Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt.

It’s also thought that there also offers from the BBC on the table, including hosting a reboot of the iconic game show Blind Date, which Cilla hosted from 1985 to 2003.

The revival is already being considered by Holly’s husband Dan, and the star had previously stepped into Cilla’s shoes when she hosted a reboot of Surprise Surprise.

An insider told The Sun: ‘There might not sound like obvious parallels between Holly and Cilla, but they’re both two of the biggest stars of modern telly.

Imitating Cilla isn’t only about hosting her programs; it’s also about establishing myself as an influential solo host, creating my own unique space within the television industry.

Together with her spouse Dan, they make an unbeatable duo in television. Her charm captivates the audience and keeps them hooked, while his past achievements in producing hit TV series ensure their success.

TopMob has contacted a representative for Holly Willoughby for comment.

Dan’s production company Hungry Bear has also been behind the hugely-successful revival of Gladiators.

When asked about shows he’d like to see again, Dan mentioned Blind Date as one of them, stating: “Blind Date is another show I’d love to bring back, don’t you think? What a fun night that was! I imagine Claudia Winkleman hosting it on BBC1.

Cilla was also married to a prominent figure within the television industry, Robert ‘Bobby’ Willis, who assumed management duties from Brian Epstein following his passing in 1967. Bobby later negotiated a deal with LWT, which elevated Cilla to one of the highest-earning TV stars.

During Blind Date’s final year, Cilla was said to be earning £17,000 a week, or £884,000 a year, which is the equivalent of £2 million in today’s money.

Holly had also praised Cilla for being a huge trailblazer for TV presenters in the 1980s and 1990s. The legendary star died in 2015 aged 72.

ITV were said to be disappointed that Holly has turned down the chance to return as the host for a second series of You Bet!

Sources told The Mail that she is ‘busy with other commitments’, which meant she was unable to return to the programme she hosted a two part special last year alongside Stephen Mulhern.

An ITV spokesman said: ‘Unfortunately Holly couldn’t commit to the dates to host the new series of You Bet!, but will hopefully appear as a guest panellist on one of the shows in the new series.’

While it is not yet known what her other role is, Holly recently found global fame on Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt – her first big role away from ITV, and it’s thought that a filming is already being planned for a second series later this year.

Holly impressed bosses at the streaming giant so much that insiders there say they are ‘very keen’ to work with her more on shows which would be screened across the world.

It’s thought that the success of Celebrity Bear Hunt has seen executives considering the new prospect that one star so heavily associated with a terristrial channel could find new success on a streaming giant, with huge salaries to match.

In an era where broadcasters like BBC and ITV are finding it challenging to generate ad revenue, insiders suggest that they might find it difficult to match the substantial payments streamers could make to talents such as Holly, along with other celebrities.

The future of Dancing on Ice seems increasingly uncertain, as insiders claim that the show may be canceled within the coming days.

According to The Sun the series could be rested, before being revamped and relaunched at a later date, similar to when the show was axed in 2014 and brought back four years later.

A source told the publication: ‘Viewing figures are remarkably less than they were but they still had almost three million watch the launch show. There’s no denying, though, that the format has become tired and they’re not getting the big names they once did’.

‘Changes are needed and it’s likely it’ll be rested and given a new lease of life’ but said staff were ‘not holding out much hope’.

The fate of Dancing on Ice depends on the discussions to come after last night’s season finale. There’s debate about whether ITV is truly benefiting from the show’s high production costs.

A representative from ITV stated: “Since the focus was entirely on the highly anticipated series finale last night, no decision has been reached as of yet.

A source told The Mirror: ‘There are very real fears this is the end of the road for Dancing on Ice. It’s had a good run for nearly 20 years and has a very loyal set of viewers who really love it but the sad truth is there’s just not enough of them.

Translation: We require a large number of people attending our event, but the ratings show that attendance is so low now that it becomes challenging to keep spending money on it.

Holly has additionally expressed her joy about leading a standalone series, following the release of Celebrity Bear Hunt on Netflix a month ago.

She said: ‘I’d just got to that stage in my life where I thought, ‘I want to try something new.’ I was nervous about it, because it was a real departure from what I normally do.

‘Everything you do and everything that feels new always feels like a new chapter.’

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2025-03-16 13:11

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