‘DESTINATION X’ UK IS DRIVING VIEWERS TO BBC

The BBC has launched the highly anticipated UK version of the reality adventure competition ‘Destination X’. The first episode, which aired on Wednesday, July 30th, has already set the stage for success, attracting 2.8 million viewers overnight, with the audience peaking at 2.9 million by the end of the episode. The show dominated its timeslot in the UK. With an impressive 24% market share, an even bigger achievement when compared to the second best watched show reaching a 10% market share. The +7 numbers for the first episode came in at 4.4M viewers making ‘Destination X’ one of the best ever reality launches for the BBC.

Hosted by Rob Brydon, the UK edition of ‘Destination X’ takes viewers and contestants on a thrilling trip through Europe in a blacked out bus. The group participates in challenges along the way to earn clues that help them deduce where the X they are. At the end of each episode, the contestants enter the “map room" to place their X on the map, indicating their guessed location. The contestant furthest from the actual location is eliminated and no longer stands a chance of taking home the grand prize of £100,000. Viewers at home can play along live and place their X in the’Destination X’ app.

Production of the UK version is led by TwoFour, a division of ITV Studios. The series is another significant collaboration between the BBC and NBCUniversal after the global success of ‘The Traitors’.

The innovative format was originally developed by Geronimo and broadcast by VTM in Belgium. The international rights are distributed by Be-Entertainment.