Ben Shephard reveals shocking reason filming was repeatedly halted on new show The Summit
'This show is really made by these extraordinary 14 people'Ben Shephard revealed the unexpected reason why his new show, The Summit, had to stop filming in an exclusive interview with TV Guide.
Next week, ITV will debut the new adventure show on Tuesday (February 10), where 14 strangers will trek across rugged New Zealand mountain terrain, facing physical and strategic challenges as they attempt to reach the summit within 14 days for a share of a cash prize of up to £200k.
Along the way, they must battle harsh conditions and the twists and make tough choices — including voting competitors out — to advance toward the peak.
Ben Shephard on new ITV show The Summit
Ahead of the show’s launch, TV Guide sat down with Ben to discuss the exciting new series. Filmed in 2024, the show has been a long time coming.
“I’m most excited for the audience to meet the contestants. The format itself is incredible — it’s already a huge success around the world — so I know viewers will fall in love with it regardless. But this show is really made by these extraordinary 14 people,” he explained.
“They come from completely different walks of life, with a wide range of physical abilities, backgrounds, and life experiences, and they’re all willing to put themselves into this intense scenario. That’s what excites me most. I’ve stayed in touch with many of them, and they’ve been waiting for such a long time for this moment. As soon as the trailer came out, they’re so excited — because they’ve lived it. Trying to explain that experience to someone who hasn’t seen it is incredibly hard.
“It’s only when you actually see the challenges — crossing a rope bridge and having to cut it, navigating a ravine with just two ropes, being chased by a helicopter just yards behind them, or dealing with crampons and ice axes — that you really understand what they went through. It sounds like a dream and a nightmare all at once.”
‘We were definitely terrorised’
Filming the show came with its challenges, however, as Ben reveals a behind-the-scenes secret viewers may not get to see.
“There were these native birds — kea — on the mountain that we couldn’t interfere with in any way. They’re mythical, legendary birds, and they’re protected. If they’re flying around, you can’t film.”
As a result, Ben said that “everything had to stop”, adding: “They’re also incredibly inquisitive. If you leave anything out, they’ll go straight for it, unpick it, tear it open, break it, and even eat it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“One of the toughest things was that we had drones and helicopters flying, so if the kea were in the air, we had to shut everything down out of respect for the environment we were in. They’re mischievous and curious, and because hardly anyone is up there, they’ll come right up to you — into your bags, undoing zips, picking at ropes, literally untying things.
“We even had Portaloos flown in by helicopter — the whole production was like a TV studio dropped onto a mountain. Everything was flown up, including the toilets, which were pinned down and tied. One day, while we were filming, the kea got on top of one and unpicked it until it came loose. It was one of those things you just can’t plan for. Suddenly, it’s, “Where are the kea today?” because if they showed up, that had a huge impact.”
Ben joked that the crew were “definitely terrorised” by the birds and “constantly accompanied and occasionally thwarted by them”.
The longest time a kea delayed the show was around 3o to 45 minutes.
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