DISNEY’S lawyers are said to be champing at the bit over ITV’s upcoming gameshow Nobody’s Fool – and are watching for any further similarities with its own bonkbuster series Rivals.
They were already twitchy when images emerged last week of actors Emily Atack and Danny Dyer posing for the new programme inside what looks like a stately home.
The two hosts of the ITV show are also prominent cast members on Disney+ series Rivals — currently filming its second run — and it turned out the grand pile the pair were snapped in was Knowlton Court in Kent .
Which, with its grand sandy-coloured walls, looked remarkably like Ammerdown House in Somerset , which doubles up as the home of Rivals’ central character Rupert Campbell-Black.
And Disney+ is now keeping an eye out for any further revelations about the ITV series.
A TV insider said: “With both shows pencilled in to air next year, the legal eagles at Disney are watching the ITV show very closely and with every new bit of information coming out the more they’re scrutinising it. But they won’t know until it airs whether ITV is going all in and making a ‘Rivals gameshow’ or whether the format is actually closer to The Traitors.”
One of the games played during the recent filming of Nobody’s Fool certainly suggests it also has hints of the huge BBC hit hosted by Claudia Winkleman.
I can reveal that one of the tasks performed sees them all the contestants called in to sit round a table where they are served dinner — only their cutlery is inside a box.
They have to work out how to get a number which unlocks it, otherwise they have to eat their dinner with their hands.
Based on that, I’m not sure The Traitors need worry about being beaten in the ratings by this new show — and I don’t think those Disney lawyers have much to fret about either.
But let’s wait and see . . .
Dannii’s in soapy bubble
DANNII MINOGUE is returning to acting more than three decades after leaving Home & Away – in a line-up featuring two other soap icons.
The I Kissed a Boy host, who played Emma Jackson in the Aussie series for a year until 1990, is now set for a role in Imposter, a four-part drama on Channel 5.
Jackie Woodburne, who is best known as Susan Kennedy in Neighbours, and Kym Marsh , who was Michelle Connor on Coronation Street , are also in the powerhouse cast.
Imposter is currently being filmed in Melbourne, Australia .
It centres on a bitter family feud that spirals into betrayal and murder when a decades-old secret is brought to light.
With a gripping plot and a cast of soap icons, Imposter sounds like one that’s bound to get viewers in a lather.
Clare’s booked Traitors
CLARE BALDING had so much time to herself while filming Celebrity Traitors , she managed to work on her book.
The sports presenter begged bosses for an old-fashioned word processor so she could finish penning her novel as the contestants were banned from interacting when cameras stopped.
Talking on the Stick To Rugby podcast, she said: “Most of the things when I’m filming, we hang out together, we eat together, we drink together, we chat together – not in The Traitors. Not allowed. We were alone in our rooms.
“I was allowed a word processor – obviously you can’t go onto the internet – so I took the final edit of my book while I was there.
“I had a little memory stick to take it in with me. I could sit there and concentrate on it.”
Join the club, Vanessa
DANCING On Ice’s Vanessa Bauer has made it to the silver screen in a fun new cameo.
The pro skater plays herself in Netflix’s crime caper The Thursday Movie Club.
She is seen gliding on the rink with actor Tom Ellis, who plays former boxer-turned TV personality Jason Ritchie in the film. His character’s next job is on Dancing On Ice .
It will have been a nostalgic moment for Vanessa, as ITV’s talent contest was shelved earlier this year after 19 years.
The German dancer had been on the show since 2017, winning once and reaching the final six times.
But she had always aspired to become an actress, revealing in 2023 that she was having coaching.
She said:” I am focusing on my acting now. I am keen to do movies. I’ve been having lessons every single day.”
More true crime
NETFLIX has announced the release date for the third season of true crime series, Monster.
The new run arrives on October 3 and focuses on 1950s American serial killer Ed Gein, played by Charlie Hunnam.
The cast also includes Tom Hollander and Lesley Manville.
Ape Expectations for Erin
ERIN DOHERTY doesn’t look like she’s in the mood for any monkey business as she struts on to the set of new BBC drama California Avenue.
She seems to be giving the kid in the headdress a berth wider than the brim on her hat, which is typical of the Seventies-styled series from top director Hugo Blick.
The Adolescence actress plays a young mum, Lela, who arrives on a rural caravan park with the rather exotic name which gives the show its title.
There she encounters a string of characters played by a stellar cast including Bill Nighy as well as Helena Bonham Carter , who in Netflix’s The Crown was Princess Margaret , royal aunt to her niece Princess Anne , played by Erin.
In contrast to their regal presence, the show also features a bloke in Y-fronts negotiating a giant pig.
