Mel Giedroyc fronts brand new comedy entertainment format
3rd February 2026, London: U and U&Dave is set to launch brand-new escape room comedy entertainment series The Way Out (4x60’) later this year. Produced by Tuesday’s Child, The Way Out is hosted by Mel Giedroyc and features Ed Gamble and Nish Kumar as team captains. Each captain selected their own team members for the series, with Ed Gamble enlisting Chloe Petts and Lou Sanders, and Nish Kumar selecting Amy Annette and David O’Doherty.
In each episode of The Way Out, Mel Giedroyc will drop the two teams of comedians into a bespoke, themed escape room with one simple instruction: the winner is the first team to find ‘the way out’. What lies inside each room remains a complete mystery to the teams until the moment the race begins. Each room reveals a unique world of its own with multiple areas, features and mysteries to solve – “Gone Fishing”, “Fire Fighters”, “Shrink Machine” and “Art Heist.” At the end of the series, the win belongs to the team that conquers all four escape rooms with the fastest overall time.
Mel Giedroyc says, “Hosting The Way Out means I’ve got the best seat in the house! AND IT IS THE LITERAL DREAM TO HAVE A SITTING-DOWN JOB. I’m overseeing the madness as two hilarious teams of comedians race the clock, crack the puzzles, and outwit each other. My job? Keep the chaos flowing, dial up the tension, and drop the odd hint when they’re really stuck. It’s RUDDY unpredictable and I loved every second of it - and what a treat it is to be back on U&Dave!”
Ed Gamble says, “There is nothing I love more than escape rooms and my ride or die teammate has always been Chloe Petts. They are smart, incisive and competitive - an obvious recruit for my squad. Lou Sanders is there to beat the other team up if they get out of line.”
Nish Kumar says, “There’s no two people I’d rather be trapped in a room with than David and Amy, and we will be trapped because I’m very bad at escape rooms!”
The Way Out is based on an original Belgian concept created by Roses Are Blue for VTM and distributed by Be Entertainment. Local development of The Way Out was led by James Donkin at Curious Cat, the executive producer for Tuesday’s Child is Steph Harris and Will Brown is the Series Producer in co-production with Roses are Blue. The series was commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor and Jason Dawson, commissioning executive, and ordered by Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning and Gerald Casey, director of programming, comedy and entertainment.
Mark Iddon says, “The Way Out reflects our ambition to deliver bold, distinctive comedy on U and U&Dave. What we loved straight away was how instantly gettable the idea is, and how much comedy it creates. You’re watching very smart people make terrible decisions under pressure, which is always a joy. It feels playful, a bit anarchic and genuinely competitive, and with Mel’s mix of warmth and mischief, she is the perfect person to hold it all together.”
Gerald Casey says, “Escape rooms have exploded in popularity because they tap into something universal - we all love solving puzzles and trying to outsmart the unexpected. So, throwing comedians into that pressure cooker felt like a no‑brainer. The chaos of escape rooms mixed with the quick wit of some of the funniest people in the UK is television our viewers will love.”
Steph Harris, at Tuesday’s Child, says, “We’re extremely excited to be on this journey with UKTV who are just as enthused as us to be bringing this format to a UK audience. The show is riotiously funny viewing from start to finish. Helmed by the brilliantly funny Mel, self-confessed escape room addict, Ed and Nish put their 20-year friendship to test as their teams race to escape a series of fantastical worlds - and the results are quite literally explosive.”
The Way Out will stream on U and air on U&Dave. U is UKTV’s free streaming service with over 9000 hours of content from UKTV’s free-to-air channels U&Dave, U&Drama, U&Yesterday and U&W, as well as programming exclusive to U. U&Dave is UKTV’s free-to-air entertainment channel that is home to Will & Ralf Should Know Better, Guy Martin: Proper Jobs and Clash of the Comics. U&Dave has just announced its first ever scripted drama commission, Hit Point, is coming to the channel later this year.
The Way Out will air later this year on U and U&Dave.
*ENDS*
For more information please contact:
Ben Duncan, Consumer Publicity Manager
Jasmine Brewer, Publicist
About Tuesday’s Child
Tuesday’s Child Television was launched by Karen Smith in September 2012. The UK-based independent production company has offices in London and Glasgow and specialises in entertainment, reality, factual entertainment and comedy programming. Over the last thirteen years Tuesday’s Child has devised and produced award winning formats for UK and US that have then gone on to travel the world.
Tuesday’s Child are the format creators of the multi award-winning LEGO Masters which is now produced in over 20 territories, and they co produce the US series on FOX, now in its 6th season. Most recently they produced the hugely successful Jimmy Carr’s Am I The A**hole? for Comedy Central, which was the number one comedy launch on pay TV in 2025; ITV1 and ITVX smash hit, high-stakes competitive reality format, The Fortune Hotel S1 & S2 with two international commissions already announced; eight seasons of The Hit List for BBC One; four seasons of Guessable? for Comedy Central; three seasons of the RTS winning Extraordinary Escapes With Sandi Toksvig and Rose D'Or Nominated documentary The Boy Who Can't Stop Dancing for Channel 4; Queens For The Night and multiple seasons of the award winning You’re Back in the Room for ITV1 (this format has also been produced in ten international territories); Apocalypse Wow and Ghost Bus Tour for ITV2 and two seasons of Killer Camp for ITV 2 and The CW. They opened development hub, Curious Cat last year and The Way Out marks their first commission.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love.
Its leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, U&GOLD, U&alibi and U&eden – span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview, Freesat and Freely; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform.
UKTV’s content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV and Virgin Media.
UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity and we are committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress
About U
U is UKTV’s free TV streaming service, providing instant access to shows from UKTV's free-to-air channels – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W and U&YESTERDAY.
U is available for free online at u.co.uk or through the U app on tablets, phones, or on smart TVs with Freeview Play, Freely, Amazon Fire TV, YouView, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Freesat, Sky Glass, Sky Stream, NOW and Roku. In January 2026, it launched on Channel 4 streaming.
Audiences have access to 9,000 hours of programming – including exclusive originals, premiere acquisitions and iconic BBC programmes across drama, comedy, entertainment, and factual entertainment. U is nominated for best streaming service at 2025’s Edinburgh Television Festival Awards, having doubled its views in just two years (+109% January 2023 to December 2024) and adding over 2,000 hours of new content in 2024.
Viewers can lose themselves in what they love with a diverse range of new and classic shows, including both new and classic series of Bergerac, Whitstable Pearl, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Marlow Murder Club, Outrageous, The Bill, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Guy Martin: Proper Jobs, Bangers & Cash, Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake, MasterChef Australia and so much more.