SCARED OF THE DARK: C4 ANNOUNCE CELEBRITY ENDURANCE EXPERIMENT

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Channel 4 has announced the latest commission from its Global Format Fund. Scared of the Dark (working title) , is a brand new six-part series co-produced by MultiStory Media and Possessed, both part of ITV Studios.

In this ground-breaking endurance experiment, a group of celebrities will give up the limelight, in fact give up ALL light, and enter a specially created pitch-black reality space for seven whole days.

Nyctophobia, or the fear of darkness, is one of the most common phobias. Living in complete and total darkness the celebrities must endure the unique pressures of light deprivation as well as adapting to performing daily tasks in the lightless space that they will call home.

Their living space has everything they need for a comfortable stay…they just can’t see any of it.

The celebrities will have to manage the everyday practicalities of living and socialising without light and, over the course of seven days, will also have to undertake a series of thought-provoking challenges designed to test either their primal fear of total darkness or their ability to function in pitch black darkness.

If they can quell their fears and perform well in the intense challenges, these celebrities could earn themselves a brief respite in the light.

Those that fail at their challenges will have to head to the Black Hole: the darkest place of all where they will have to take on herculean tasks to save their place on the show.

Each celebrity will be motivated to conquer their fears because at the end only one will step out into the light as series winner.

Phil Harris, Head of Entertainment and Events at Channel 4 said “Channel 4 has always been home to some of the most outlandish and boundary pushing reality creations and Scared of the Dark is a commission firmly in that tradition”

Tom Beck, Head of Live Events at Channel 4, said: “Funny, frightening and totally unexpected, this idea really jumped out at us – much like we’ll be jumping out and surprising a load of terrified celebrities living in the dark. The show promises an enticing mix of reality, entertainment and experiment and I can’t wait to turn the lights off and get started”.

Simone Haywood, Head of Factual Entertainment at MultiStory Media, said “10 million of us in the UK are reportedly scared of the dark. From managing their primal fears to the nuances of group bonding without the aid of traditional social cues, exploring the different ways people cope with light deprivation makes for a fascinating experiment".

Glenn Hugill, Managing Director at Possessed, said “We can’t wait to see the stories that unfold when our stars turn out the light...

"They'll enter a world where recognition means nothing and instead the imagination can take over. Fear of the dark is primal and never leaves you. It promises an intense experience for the celebrities and audience alike.

It’s a thrill to make this truly unique show with Phil and Tom at C4 and Simone and the incredible team at MultiStory Media. Scared of the Dark is exactly the kind of envelope-pushing commission that Channel 4 has always done best”.