ITV's Ben Shephard has issued a stark warning to viewers about the formidable physical challenge at the heart of his new television series, The Summit. The presenter, who famously scaled Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief in 2009, is now overseeing a group of civilians as they embark on a gruelling uphill battle in the rugged Alps of New Zealand.
A Daunting Mountain Challenge
Fourteen complete strangers face the daunting prospect of climbing a mountain in New Zealand's Southern Alps, with the potential to pocket a life-changing £200,000 prize. The show promises dramatic twists, treacherous terrain, and the added pressure of participants being tasked with eliminating fellow competitors along the way.
Among the diverse line-up is Warren Furman, better known as Ace from the original Gladiators series, and Afton McKeith, daughter of health guru and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! icon Gillian McKeith, who previously dated Brooklyn Beckham.
'Not To Be Underestimated'
Speaking to Metro and other press ahead of the show's launch, the 51-year-old presenter emphasised the sheer physicality of the challenge. 'The physical challenge is not to be underestimated. Not one of these people had climbed a mountain in the past,' Shephard revealed.
'By the time you get to the snowline, they are in crampons with ice axes, climbing up glaciers, roped together in case anybody falls off. It was jaw-dropping what they had to do.'
Celebrity Version Possibilities
Shephard's mind is already racing with possibilities about who from his ITV family he would cast in a potential celebrity version of the show. 'I'd throw Joel Dommett in there in a minute. He would be fantastic. Cat would be bang up for it. She is really game, she's got young boys, so she likes a bit of camping, I think,' he said.
Offering humorous assessments of his colleagues, Shephard added: '[Kate] Garraway would be awful. She wouldn't even find her way out of the airport to get to the hotel at the start. She'd be absolutely hopeless but brilliant telly.'
'Dermot [O'Leary] would be brilliant, and Alison [Hammond] would be cheering everybody on. She'd be dancing all the way up.'
Broadcast Schedule
The Summit will air at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX on the following dates:
- Tuesday 10th February
- Wednesday 11th February
- Tuesday 17th February
- Wednesday 18th February
- Tuesday 24th February
- Tuesday 3rd March
- Tuesday 10th March
Navigating This Morning Challenges
The 51-year-old presenter has plenty of star-studded names to draw from his ITV stable, where he's also familiar with the demands of high-profile hosting. In 2024, he and Cat Deeley were drafted in to permanently replace scandal-struck Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning.
While the pair found their feet at the helm of ITV's daytime staple, ratings suffered a sudden dip, with some questioning the hiring decision. '[You] sort of take it in your stride, really. We love doing the job that we get to do and understand that there is a lot of ownership of the show... because of the viewers that make it work,' Ben said.
'I welcome it. I enjoy doing what we're doing and making sure we are delivering a show that the viewers want to enjoy and watch, and also that part of it is not something I massively dwell on.'
Keeping Perspective
The father of two, who shares sons Sam and Jack with his long-time wife Annie, has learned to shrug off initial criticism. 'I just have to get home and realise I've got three loads of washing and my teenage sons to tidy up after,' Ben revealed.
'There are bits of it that I can concern myself with... that I can listen to and take on board, stuff I think is interesting, or valuable, and then forget about the stuff that's not.'
The Summit represents a significant departure from Shephard's usual presenting roles, combining extreme physical challenges with high-stakes competition in one of the world's most dramatic landscapes.
