BBC to Revive Sports Entertainment Show for Holiday Special With U.K. Olympics Stars

5:51 AM PST 11/14/2012 by Stuart Kemp

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The U.K. public broadcaster will air a year-end edition of "Superstars," which used to draw big ratings, with the likes of long-distance runner Mo Farah.

LONDON – The BBC will revive former sporting entertainment show Superstars for a holiday season special featuring British stars of the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

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The show pits sports stars from different disciplines against one another in a series of sporting challenges.

The one-off show, Superstars 2012, will feature sixteen of London 2012’s British medalists - eight men and eight women - who will compete to be crowned the two best all-round superstars, the BBC said Wednesday.

The athletes will participate in eight different disciplines for the 90-minute TV show, including 100-meter and 800-meter races, a javelin competition, a 50-meter race in the pool and a test of their archery skills.

Gold medalists participating include long-distance runner Mo Farah, boxers Anthony Joshua and Nicola Adams and Taekwondo star Jade Jones.

The show was commissioned by BBC One controller Danny Cohen and Mark Linsey, controller, entertainment commissioning, to be broadcast at Christmas.

Superstars 2012 is being produced for the BBC by IMG Media, part of IMG Worldwide, and will be hosted by Gabby Logan, one of the faces of the BBC’s London 2012 coverage.

Logan said: "I am thrilled to be hosting this special edition of Superstars; we have an incredible line-up of Olympic heroes. What an opportunity for them to compete against each other across a range of diverse physical challenges."

Logan's father, Welsh soccer legend Terry Yorath, appeared on the show in the 1970s when the BBC format, originally made by ABC in the U.S., enjoyed huge audiences and popularity, regularly attracting 10 million-plus viewers

Superstars executive producer at IMG will be Rick Thomas. He positioned the show as the chance "to rekindle the memories of the summer," something the BBC will look forward to doing as it emerges from the current leadership crisis it is enduring.

The executive producers are Mirella Breda, executive editor entertainment commissioning for the BBC, Bob Massie for Massive TV and Thomas for IMG.