24 June 2019
UKTV has joined forces with former World's Strongest Man in brand new UKTV Original, Eddie Eats America (12x30'), for award-winning entertainment channel Dave.
The new series follows Eddie "The Beast" Hall, as he tries to conquer the biggest eating and strength challenges that America has to offer. Towering at 6ft 3in tall and weighing in at 26st, Eddie has to consume up to 12,000 calories a day to feed his extreme bodybuilding regime and will now take on everything the most calorific country on the planet can throw at him.
Eddie, 31 from Stoke-on-Trent, will take on iconic eating challenges across the United States, attempting to consume everything from New York's biggest sandwich - 'The Monster' - to 'The Casian Crawfish Challenge' in Houston, a 2lb bowl of crawfish cooked in one of the world's spiciest peppers. To work up his appetite, Eddie also faces America's toughest and most bizarre tests of strength, including an aeroplane pull, wrestling giant fish - and bending iron bars with his bare hands.
Eddie Eats America is commissioned for UKTV by Iain Coyle, Head of Comedy Entertainment. It was ordered by Richard Watsham, director of commissioning, and Steve North, genre general manager for comedy and entertainment. The series is executive produced by John Quinn for North One Television, Iain Coyle for UKTV, and will be distributed by All3Media International.
UKTV's Iain Coyle said:
Eddie is a big character, and I don't mean just because he's a big unit, although when he came in to see us, he needed two chairs, one for each buttock. What I was struck by was the strength of his personality and I'm sure the eateries of North America will feel the power of that, as well as his ferocious appetite.
John Quinn, executive producer for North One Television said:
Eddie Hall has taken on some big challenges in the past, but nothing quite like these. America will push Eddie to his absolute limits - but we're also asking ourselves, genuinely, is America ready for Eddie Hall?
Dave channel director, Luke Hales, said:
Eddie 'The Beast' Hall is the perfect person to take Dave viewers on the ultimate competition of food and strength in super-size America. Good luck to him!
Eddie Eats America will TX on Dave later this year and will also be available on UKTV Play. It follows even more brand new UKTV Originals on Dave in 2019, including Sliced, Expedition with Steve Backshall, Hurricane Man, Hypothetical with Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster, and the return of Judge Romesh, Porters, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier and the award-winning Taskmaster.
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For more information please contact:
Amy Geoghegan, Front Desk Publicist, UKTV
About Dave
Freeview 19, Sky 111, Virgin 127, YouView 19, Freesat 157, BT & TalkTalk 19
On demand on UKTVPlay
Ever since it was knee high to a TV remote, Dave had an idea. It wanted to be the first place viewers would come for brand-new, award-winning entertainment from the biggest and brightest stars and production companies in the UK. And in the years since, it has launched some of the most exciting and best-loved titles on TV.
There are names like BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Taskmaster - now in its ninth series -, Judge Romesh, Hypothetical, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier and Comedians Giving Lectures. And of course there's Dave Gorman, whose inquisitive mind is returning to the channel for Terms and Conditions Apply. It's not just in front of the camera where the comic genius lies either, with a wealth of scripted treasure such as Sliced, Porters and the globally popular Red Dwarf.
Dave's not content just to make you laugh and share gags with your mates though. Expedition with Steve Backshall and Hurricane Man are showing you regions and aspects of the earth never before seen on TV. Red Bull Soapbox continues to delight with its boundless capacity for invention. And stepping away from the TV entirely, Dave's partnered with CALM to launch the "Be The Mate You'd Want" campaign and the "Conversations Against Living Miserably" podcast.
Reaching 20million viewers a month, Dave's come a long way, but it's only just getting warmed up.
dave.uktv.co.uk / @davechannel
About North One
For nearly 30 years, North One Television has been a globally recognised producer of world class factual entertainment, sports and live event TV programming, winning scores of awards - including three BAFTAs for its production of Formula One racing for ITV. Starting out as the sports TV wing of the Chrysalis Media Group, building a name with shows like C4's Football Italia and NBA coverage, the company soon spread into other genres, with factual entertainment brands such as C4's 'Top Ten' archive shows and C5's long-running Fifth Gear and Gadget Show series. Among myriad other documentary, features and entertainment commissions, more recently North One has scored hits with Richard Ayoade: Travel Man (C4), all of the acclaimed Guy Martin TV projects (C4) - and several high profile series for UKTV, including Storage Hunters UK (Dave), The Story of Only Fools & Horses and How The Young Ones Changed Comedy (both GOLD).