BBC and Channel 4 bosses are reportedly in a ‘furious’ row over Pete Wicks as Strictly Come Dancing and SAS: Who Dares Wins go head-to-head on the TV schedules later this year.
The TOWIE star, 36, filmed for the challenge show in July 2023 in New Zealand, marking his second go at the gruelling SAS selection process after he broke his ribs and was forced to quit the show.
However, Channel 4’s production schedule means the series will not air until September, the same weekend Pete begins his stint on Strictly.
This is the second time the TV channel has been overshadowed, with MP Matt Hancock appearing on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity in 2022 before his endurance adventure aired the following year.
The latest row involving Pete has reportedly left Channel 4 executives furious, as their promotional plans for the upcoming SAS: Who Dares Wins are now in tatters.
BBC and Channel 4 bosses are in a ‘furious’ row over Pete Wicks as Strictly Come Dancing and SAS: Who Dares Wins clash in the TV schedules (Pete pictured in July)
The TOWIE star, 36, filmed for the challenge show in July 2023 in New Zealand, his second go at the gruelling SAS selection process after he broke his ribs and was forced to quit the show (pictured on the show in 2021)
However, Channel 4’s production schedule means the series will not air until September, the same weekend Pete begins his stint on Strictly.
A television source said The sun‘Channel 4 were furious when it was revealed that Pete would be part of this year’s Strictly cast.’
‘This is the second time that another reality show has screwed them over.’
‘After Pete was knocked unconscious and broke his ribs in the 2022 series, his return to try and make it through was a huge achievement and the first time (former Special Forces chief instructor) Billy Billingham and the management staff had allowed a celebrity to audition twice.’
The source also added that bosses wanted Pete’s storyline to be one of the main storylines on the show, however Strictly beat them to it.
MailOnline has contacted a Channel 4 representative for comment.
Pete’s place in the Strictly line-up was confirmed earlier this week and he will be the first TOWIE star to take part in the BBC talent show.
Revealing the news live Kiss FM Pete said he felt “excited and absolutely petrified.”
He said: ‘It’s a mixture of excitement and absolute petrification, it’s fear, you can see right into my soul.’
A TV source told The Sun: ‘Channel 4 were furious when it was revealed that Pete would be part of this year’s Strictly cast. It’s the second time they’ve been cheated by another reality show.’
It is now the second time the TV channel has run out of money, as in 2022 MP Matt Hancock appeared on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity before his endurance adventure aired the following year (pictured on the show in 2022).
Pete also revealed that his best friend Sam is thrilled with him and plans to be on the show every Saturday.
Speaking on his podcast Staying relevantPete said: ‘Sam planned that every Saturday he would be on the show. Sam is the only person who will be there every Saturday.’
He then joked: “He’s making t-shirts, that guy really needs to get a life.”
Pete’s casting may come as a surprise to some viewers, given his friendship with Zara McDermott, 27, and her boyfriend Sam.
As it emerged earlier this year, her close friend Zara was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima, 30, last year.
Graziano was accused of “chasing” Zara while “yelling insults at her”, leaving her so scared that she “locked herself in a bathroom”.
He has since apologized for kicking his ex-partner, but said other allegations don’t match “how he remembers it.”
The shocking details reportedly claim he “called her nasty names, asked if she had gained weight and was forceful”, leaving her “visibly demoralised” and “in tears”.
Pete’s entry into Strictly Come Dancing may come as a surprise to some viewers, given his friendship with Zara McDermott, 27, and her boyfriend Sam (left to right: Pete, Zara and Sam, pictured in April)
Earlier this year it emerged that her close friend Zara was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima, 30, last year (pictured in 2023).
Zara itself previously said in a statement that there had been “particular incidents within the training room which were incredibly distressing.”
She did not report the incidents at the time because she was “afraid” of a backlash, instead it was junior production staff who came forward.
The source added that Graziano would apologize each time and “promise not to do it again.”
Mark Borkowski, a Graziano’s spokesman also said BBC News: ‘There’s never a moment to kick, or have the feeling that that’s the right thing to do, and he knows it. He knows he made a mistake. He apologized at the time.
Referring to the media reports, Mark added: “But he fails to acknowledge some of the problems surrounding the issue. The descriptions of what is being discussed online and how he remembers it do not match up.”
