Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel is apparently no joke (Picture: BBC/Hungry McBear/Gary Moyes)
A celebrity became so nauseous after being spun around on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel they were forced to pull out shortly after filming.
Richard Osman, who appears in an upcoming episode of the BBC show, revealed one of his co-stars was replaced last minute by boxer Tony Bellew after falling ill.
Sharing the behind-the-scenes secrets of The Wheel, the 53-year-old said on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast: ‘When you turn up you’re spun around about 30 times before the show even starts just to get various cutaway shots.
‘One of the celebrities I was on with had to leave the show because they absolutely got too dizzy. They were ill and they had to be replaced at the last minute.’
Richard declined to name the sick star but revealed that Tony, who happened to be in The Wheel’s studios, was drafted in at the eleventh hour.
The Thursday Murder Club author said producers told him a contestant becoming too ill to take part had only happened once before.
A celebrity struggled and was forced to pull out of the show after becoming dizzy (Picture: BBC/Hungry McBear/Gary Moyes)
Celebrities including Josie Gibson have all tried their hand at The Wheel (Picture: BBC)
Sharing his verdict on The Wheel, Richard said: ‘It spins pretty quick. It’s not SAS: Are You Tough Enough, but it’s not far off.’
On each episode of The Wheel, seven celebrities sit around a giant wheel, each with very specific expertise on a certain subject.
Several contestants are sitting underneath the wheel, with one being randomly selected at a time to rise to the top and try their hand at winning a cash prize.
The player chosen to take part selects a category to answer a question, and one celebrity will be picked randomly to help them.
Richard joked The Wheel wasn’t far off SAS: Are You Tough Enough (Picture: David Levenson/Getty Images)
Former boxer Tony stepped in to replace the sick celebrity on The Wheel (Picture: Henry Browne/Getty Images)
If they get the answer right with a non-expert celebrity, the cash prize will increase by £3,000, while answering correctly with the expert can bag them £10,000.
Celebrities who have appeared on the show include Clare Balding, Anton Du Beke,Gemma Collins, Lorraine Kelly, Katherine Ryan, and Richard Madeley.
As well as his appearance on The Wheel, Richard is gearing up for the film adaptation of his hit novel, The Thursday Murder Club.
Boasting ‘the best British cast since Harry Potter’, the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and David Tennant appear in the film.
Dame Helen is part of The Thursday Murder Club’s all-star cast (Picture: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage)
Former James Bond is also in the film adaptation (Picture: Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images for US-Ireland Alliance)
The film follows four friends living in a retirement home, who solve cold cases as a hobby, get caught up in a real crime when a shady property developer is found dead.
Richard released The Thursday Murder Club book in 2020 and followed it up with three sequels; 2021’s The Man Who Died Twice, 2022’s The Bullet That Missed and 2023’s The Last Devil to Die.
The Wheel next airs on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday at 7.35pm.
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