LONDON – Viacom-owned UK terrestrial network Channel 5 (C5) is reviving the UK version of The Bachelor after a six-year hiatus. Casting is underway to find the UK’s most eligible single man to take part in a 10×60’ version of the Warner Bros format, which is due to air on C5 next year.

 

The show has been commissioned by Sean Doyle, commissioning editor for factual at C5, and will be produced by Warner Bros-owned UK production company Ricochet.

 

The Bachelor originated on ABC in the US in 2002, taking an eligible single man to an exotic location with a group of women he is expected to whittle down episode by episode in an attempt to find a wife. It has aired for 22 seasons stateside, spawning a number of spin-offs such as The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad and Bachelor in Paradise.

 

A UK version of the show previously aired for three seasons on youth-skewing BBC3 between 2003 and 2005, prior to the channel’s move online. It was later picked up by C5, where it aired for two seasons in 2011 and 2012.

 

It has now been revived by C5 and will start filming in South Africa in the autumn. Emma Walsh will executive produce for Ricochet.

 

The news follows last week’s announcement that C5 was preparing for “a year without Big Brother”, with the contract for the long running reality format up at the end of this year and ratings declining. C5 picked up the format in 2011 and has been airing it ever since. It previously did 10 years on rival Channel 4.