Contents Superstars Introduction . 2 List of competitors . 4 Competitor biographies and home towns . 5 Superstars rules and events . 11 Superstars history and top facts . 13 Past Superstars records . 16 Where are they now? . 18 BBC Sport website guide . 19 Presenter biographies Johnny Vaughan . 20 Suzi Perry . 20 Introduction Superstars is back on BBC ONE Superstars is back on BBC One after a 19-year it.The public demand to bring it back has been absence.The legendary sports-entertainment huge and this time we’ve got a real mix from all show returns with brand-new presenters, a areas of sport. Footballers like [Dennis] Wise sizzling location and the crème de la crème of and [Stuart] Pearce are bound to spice things sporting talent.The new series begins on up and I can’t wait to see the girls in action!” Thursday 16 October on BBC One at 8pm.The Women’s Final will be shown on 13 November Co-host Suzi Perry says:“When I was growing and the Men’s Final on 20 November. up, I absolutely loved Superstars, seeing different sports favourites in different Superstars is a six-part series hosted by challenges against each other. For me, Brian popular presenters Johnny Vaughan and Suzi Jacks, was the man! I’m sure the contestants Perry.The men battle it out over four heats will be taking this very seriously and, whatever with the top two contestants in each show they say or show on the outside, you know claiming a place in the grand final.The women, deep down that they really want to win.” not to be outdone, compete in a special one-off championship. Based in La Manga in Southern Spain, top sports stars such as Colin Jackson, Dennis Presenter Johnny Vaughan says:“Superstars was Wise, Stuart Pearce, Mark Foster, Darren a great show; everyone has fond memories of Campbell, Ricky Hatton,Tony Underwood, Paul Superstars 2 Introduction Hunter, Richard Dunwoody,Annabel Croft and performances, Kevin Keegan falling off a bike at Katharine Merry have signed up to take part in high speed and Malcolm Macdonald setting a a variety of disciplines, ranging from the record for the 100m. infamous gym tests (dips and squats), to mountain biking, the 100m sprint, target golf Superstars is produced by TWI and and swimming. commissioned by Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of BBC One, and Jane Lush, Controller of Entertainment for the BBC. The contestants are based at the world-famous La Manga Club, where they live and compete together.The gym tests are held at the beautiful La Cala beach, swimming at Bellaluz Pool and kayaking on the Mar de Cristal. The original Superstars, presented by David Vine, ran for 11 years on BBC One from 1974-1985 and featured memorable moments such as Brian Jacks’s outstanding gym Superstars 3 The competitors The competitors Heat 1 Heat 4 Mark Foster (swimming) Graham Bell (skiing) Colin Jackson (athletics) Martin Bell (skiing) John Regis (athletics) Chris Lewis (cricket) Wayne McCullough (boxing) Brian Hooper (athletics) Greg Searle (rowing) Ricky Hatton (boxing) Henry Olonga (cricket) Du’aine Ladejo (athletics) Stuart Pearce (football) Martin Offiah (rugby) Johnny Searle (rowing) Dennis Wise (football) Phil de Glanville (rugby) Richie Richardson (cricket) Heat 2 Women’s Final Annabel Croft (tennis) Chris Boardman (cycling) Liz McColgan (athletics) Darren Campbell (athletics) Katharine Merry (athletics) Steve Collins (boxing) Leanda Cave (triathlon) Dermot Reeve (cricket) Fiona May (athletics) Peter Scudamore (horse racing) Zoë Baker (swimming) Iwan Thomas (athletics) Lesley McKenna (snowboarding) Tony Underwood (rugby) Kate Howey (judo) Rory Underwood (rugby) Steve Claridge (football) Heat 3 Jimmy Adams (cricket) Simon Archer (badminton) Jamie Baulch (athletics) Alain Baxter (skiing) Jamie Delgado (tennis) Richard Dunwoody (horse racing) Gavin Hastings (rugby) Derek Redmond (athletics) Paul Hunter (snooker) Superstars 4 Competitor biographies and home towns Competitor biographies and home towns Heat 1 John Regis Born: Lewisham, London Mark Foster Hugely talented and experienced over the Born: Billericay, Essex, grew up in Southend shorter distances, John set numerous indoor and outdoor British records over 200m. He At 6ft 6in, Mark towers above most people and was also part of the record-setting is just as dominant in the international Commonwealth and European 4x400m team swimming pool, where he has competed in four and ran away with an unprecedented four gold Olympic Games, broken eight world records medals at the 1990 European Championships. and collected five World Championship golds. Wayne McCullough Colin Jackson Born: Belfast Born: Cardiff The Ulsterman they call the Pocket Rocket, because of his all-action style, won silver at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 before turning professional and becoming WBC bantam- weight champion. Greg Searle Born: Ashford, Middlesex, grew up in Chertsey, Surrey Olympic gold medal-winning rower turned ocean yacht racing sailor.With his brother, Johnny, he won his gold in the coxless pairs at the Barcelona games, adding the world title 12 months later and moving on to become a grinder in Britain’s America’s Cup boat. Stuart Pearce Born: Shepherd’s Bush, London Everything is going swimmingly for Colin Jackson Known as “Psycho” because of his competitive nature on the football pitch for Coventry, Sensational Olympic silver medallist and world Nottingham Forest, Newcastle,West Ham, record-holder over 110m hurdles. Recently Manchester City and England.Who can forget retired, he leaves behind an impressive honours his emotional response to scoring a penalty board of two world and three European titles. in Euro ‘96? Superstars 5 Competitor biographies and home towns Phil De Glanville Darren Campbell Born: Loughborough Born: Manchester Outstanding rugby union centre-three-quarter World-class sprinter who almost left athletics who captained England to the 1996 Five after winning four gold medals and two Nations Championship. Highly regarded for his silver in International Junior Championships. tactical knowledge gained from an impressive He had a spell of playing football for Newport 52 international caps. County and Weymouth but returned to the track at the highest level and still finds time to fulfil obligations on the fashion catwalk. Henry Olonga Born: Lusaka, Zimbabwe Steve Collins The youngest-ever player to represent Born: Dublin Zimbabwe, the out-and-out fast bowler has 30 caps to his name, not to mention some The boxer known as “The Celtic Warrior” memorable moments, such as three wickets in emerged from Dublin as the super- five balls to dismiss India in the 1999 World middleweight who effectively ended the Cup Group match. careers of Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn on his way to holding the WBO title.Although he’s retired, he is thinking of a comeback. Johnny Searle Born: Ashford, Middlesex, grew up in Chertsey, Surrey Dermot Reeve Born: Kowloon, Hong Kong This Oxford-born rowing hero partnered his brother, Greg, to Golden glory in the coxless Dermot is described by Wisden, the cricket pairs at the Barcelona Olympics. bible, as “the best one-day cricketer in England.” With Sussex,Warwickshire, Somerset and England he scored runs quickly, bowled Heat 2 meanly and emerged as one of the game’s great entertainers. Chris Boardman Born: Manchester Peter Scudamore Born: Hereford The man from the Wirral became a household name with his revolutionary Lotus-built bike One of the most stylish riders in National winning the 4,000m individual pursuit at the Hunt racing, a sport in which bone fractures Barcelona Olympics. He took his stamina and are accepted as an inevitable fact of life. bravery to the Tour de France where he wore For all that,“Scu” rode an astonishing 1,678 the yellow jersey, although not quite managing winners, including two victories in to carry it across the finishing line. Cheltenham’s Champion Hurdle. Superstars 6 Competitor biographies and home towns Iwan Thomas Heat 3 Born: Farnborough, Kent Flies like the wind over 400m in both Jimmy Adams individual and relay races.Was perhaps Born: Port Maria, St Mary, Jamaica proudest of all when representing Wales against his GB team mates at the The all-rounder’s all-rounder, Jimmy was an Commonwealth Games. outstanding batsman, once scoring 208 not out in a Test match for the Windies, often keeping wicket and, on other occasions, bowling tantalisingly, slow left-arm tweakers. Rory Underwood Born: Middlesbrough Simon Archer An RAF pilot in single-seater jets and huge Born: Leamington Spa, lives in Worcester transport planes. During an exceptional 85-cap career with the England rugby union side, he Almost stole the show, in partnership scored 49 tries, including a record five in one with Joanne Goode, in the mixed pairs match against Fiji in 1989. badminton during the Sydney Olympics. In the end they settled for bronze but it was an outstanding performance. Tony Underwood Born: Ipoh, Malaysia Jamie Baulch Born: Nottingham, lives in Cardiff Flier on the wing with Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons and the England rugby One of Britain’s stars over 400m, he won the union side for whom he played 29 times, World Indoor title in 1999 and was a key scoring 13 tries and running up 65 points. member of the GB relay team. He was an outstanding junior once he switched from his first love, trampolining, in which he came second in the 1991 Welsh Schools Championships. Steve Claridge Born: Portsmouth Alain Baxter One of football’s great characters, his sense of Born: Edinburgh humour and forthright views are evident both on and off the field. Following a long career at The Highlander from Aviemore is a world-class Leicester City, Portsmouth and Millwall, he is skiing champion who has achieved fourth place now player-manager at Weymouth. in the World Cup Finals. Superstars 7 Competitor biographies and home towns Richard Dunwoody Jamie Delgado Born: Chelsea, London Born: Birmingham One of the greatest jump jockeys of all time Current British tennis number 11, Jamie hit a with 1,699 winners, including two Grand career high world ranking of 121 and has faced Nationals.