Mike Tindall to enter British prison to build a rugby team for ITV reality show Grand Slammers – as he capitalises on I’m a Celeb success

• ITV reality show Grand Slammers will see rugby stars build a prison rugby team
• READ MORE: Relive Zara and Mike Tindall’s joyful Scottish wedding as they celebrate 12 years together this year

Mike Tindall is set to appear on the small screen once more, following his successful appearance on I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of Here last year.

The husband of King Charles’ niece Zara and former rugby international, 44, will appear on new ITV reality show Grand Slammers.

Alongside other players from the England Rugby team that won the 2003 World Cup, Mike will enter HMP The Mount prison and attempt to build and train a team of inmates strong enough to compete against a formidable rival, the Australians.

The other players entering the facility – which is home to one of the only remaining rugby pitches inside an adult male English prison – include Captain Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Phil Vickery, Jason Robinson, Will Greenwood, Ben Cohen, Mike Tindall and Matt Dawson.

According to the production company behind the programme, which will feature two 90-minute shows, the series will offer a ‘vivid insight into the power of sport to change lives as the England legends open up to inmates about how rugby had a profound impact on them during formative periods and gave them a purpose in life’.    

Mike Tindall increased his public profile when he appeared on ITV reality show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (pictured) last year 

Mike (pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey with wife Zara for King Charles’ Coronation in May) has said he ‘always worries about money’

Grand Slammers is commissioned for ITV by Kate Teckman, Head of Development, Factual Entertainment.

According to Kate: ‘In this new series we’ll see some of the greatest sporting heroes England has ever produced reunite on the pitch for the first time in 20 years to go into a prison and build a rugby a team with men who live their lives behind bars. 

‘For some of these England legends, rugby presented a positive pathway and an opportunity to fulfil their potential. 

‘So, with re-offending rates from ex-prisoners at an alarming level, these World Cup winners are engaging with young men who’ve made big mistakes to show them how the game they love can offer the possibility of taking positive steps to move forward. 

‘At a moment when rugby will be in the spotlight, during this autumn’s Rugby World Cup, Grand Slammers will provide a revealing insight into both England’s legends and the power of the sport that has defined so much of their lives.’

Meanwhile, Kitty Walshe, CEO Remarkable Factual and RDF, added: ‘Grand Slammers would not be possible without the collective efforts of John Gormley and his staff, as well as our incredible sporting heroes who won the hearts of the nation 20 years ago. 

‘Everyone involved passionately believes that rugby is a sport that has the power to change people’s lives and what we see unfolding across the series is often raw with a range of emotions surfacing as our England legends bring their full commitment to their work with the inmates.’

Mike’s return to the small screen comes as he appeared to ramp up work in recent months, appearing on I’m A Celebrity and a number of advertising campaigns, including for Domino’s and Amazon. 

Among his ways of making money, Mike Tindall recently announced he will be taking his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby (pictured) on tour later this year

He also recently announced that his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby would tour across the UK, with 17 dates set to take place.

The 17 date tour will start at the end of October and continue throughout November and December. 

According to an online description, it will see Mike join his fellow podcast hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne on stage and ‘sharing their own World Cup stories and recapping the action from France 2023… In their very own style.’ 

Zara and Mike’s payday! How the couple have built a fortune through lucrative brand partnerships 

DOMINO’S: Estimated £300k 

AMAZON PRIME: Estimated £150k 

I’M A CELEBRITY… GET ME OUT OF HERE: Estimated £150k

PUREIS CBD: Estimated £50k 

LAND ROVER: Estimated  £200K 

ICANDY PUSHCHAIR: Estimated £100K PLUS

MAGIC MILLIONS: Estimated £125K 

MUSTO: Estimated £500K 

CALLEJA JEWELLERY: Estimated £80K

ROLEX: Estimated £100K

VST ENTERPRISES: Estimated £200K

CBD oil: Estimated £50k 

Mike has previously admitted he ‘always worried about money’. 

He and his wife Zara, 41, each have a long list of brand ambassadorships, with names such as Musto, Rolex and Land Rover, which are estimated to bring in more than £1million a year, but many are tied to sport and horse riding. 

The new tour, and his appearance on the new reality show, comes after a busy year for Mike, who is believed to have raked in £600,000 for his Amazon and Domino’s adverts, as well as his appearance on I’m A Celebrity.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams previously said Charles would be ‘keeping his eye’ on Mike.

He added: ‘King Charles must be considering where, today, the line can be drawn… Mike and Zara were never working royals. 

‘His advertising of a brand of pizza and sojourn in the jungle do however raise the question, Is anything off limits and should it be? Obviously they must earn, but are there limits as to how?’

He said: ‘The area of royals and celebrity endorsements as well as their participation in unusual enterprises has an unhappy history. 

‘Anyone who remembers It’s A Royal Knockout cringes inwardly. 

‘It was terrible tripe! Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son, and his ex-wife Autumn Kelly were reportedly paid £500,000 for a wedding deal in Hello! This featured the Royal Family in a totally unacceptable way. 

‘King Charles will undoubtedly be keeping a watchful eye on Mike Tindall’s latest plans, including his laddish advertisement for Domino’s Pizza and his appearance, which is likely to be widely watched, in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 

‘Both Mike Tindall and his wife Zara, who is 20th in line to the throne, are extremely popular. Their contributions in the field of rugby and in equestrian matters are well known. 

‘However, are they royals or celebrities or, somehow, both? They are high achievers, that we know. King Charles must be considering where, today, the line can be drawn.’

Meanwhile brand expert Nick Ede said: ‘With these kind of ad deals, Mike Tindall will be making around £300,000 for the Domino’s advert. For the Amazon, which he is not in as much, around £150,000. 

‘He’s maximising on his appeal and the fact that there are rugby fixtures coming up and all the media surrounding the Royal Family and I’m A Celeb. It’s a winning move for him and his appeal.’

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