The British version of the Reality TV heavyweight across the pond. Ironically, the UK was where the format was made and first tried out (and very nearly picked up), but eventually got sold to Sweden, where it made history.
It was first tried out in 2001 by ITV with a £1 million top prize, but flopped in its first series due to largely Questionable Casting, and although it outrated Big Brother, it didn't quite capture the high expectations set for it,note and was axed after two series. Never mind, after its cancellation in 2002, ITV took Survivor, relocated it to a jungle in Australia, filled it with celebrities and Ant & Dec and came up with I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. Funnily enough, it got the same ratings as Survivor, but merited a second series. Especially as countries including Spain and Italy did exactly the same but just used the Survivor format (which had flopped there previously) and managed to turn a show which wasn't exactly a ratings smash in 2000 into a juggernaut.
In 2023, the BBC decided to give it another look, and suffered from a similar issue to its older incarnation - a cast which really didn't know how the format worked (some contestants not even knowing it was a strategy game); poor challenge planning, unintentionally making contestants think that immunity challenges were always going to be physical, and boot out more mentally-skilled ones early; and atrocious scheduling from the BBC itself. It got going after the merge and hooked viewers by the end, but was axed after one series, with a potential return in 2025.
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- Added Alliterative Appeal: Averted in 2001 and 2002, when the 'Outwit, Outplay, Outlast' tagline was scrapped (which irritated producer Nigel Lythgoe). Played in 2023, when it returned in Joel's opening spiel.
- Auction: The Survivor Auction turned up in 2001 and again in 2023.
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: In 2023 - Caletón was in orange; La Nena was in blue. The merged tribe, Caletón, was in purple.
- Confession Cam: As always on this format.
- Game Show Physical Challenge: Inevitable with this show. Both a reward and immunity challenge were packed into an episode.
- All or Nothing: In this version it's the £100,000 or bust.
- Audience Participation: In the 2002 series a televote which counted as 1 vote at Tribal was introduced for the Final.
- And This Is for...: Tribal voters had an unusual knack for this in 2023.
- Awesome, but Impractical: The US article notes it's not a good idea to play a strong physical game, yet the 2023 reboot subverted it, by having a lot of physical challenges near the start and forcing players to think this was how it would continue. It turned out to be a double subversion once more mental challenges came about, and Lee (who played a very physical game) was voted out straight after the merge.
- Batman Gambit: Many attempted this near the end in 2023 by trying to bring Chris into the final, knowing a bitter jury would not let him win. Eventually they brought Leilani to the final as well, knowing the jury wouldn't vote for her either as she was perceived to have done very little. They did, and voted for Matty.
- Being Evil Sucks: Chris was perceived to have played a cut-throat game, which kept him in against the odds but didn't convince the jury.
- Blatant Lies: Ren (La Nena) and Laurence (Caletón) go up to the Outpost and pick between: a big fish for camp; a medium-sized fish with a potential idol hint for the player; and a smaller fish with a better clue. Laurence takes the biggest fish, while Ren goes for the middle one. Sooner rather than later, La Nena realise not all of Ren's story is adding up, and they ask Caletón what really went on at the Outpost; and Ren is gone immediately.
- Captain Obvious: Joel tried to emulate Jeff on the US version in this during challenges but received a very different reaction - viewers really didn't like it.
- Cool Old Guy: Pegleg. A disabled surfing champ and surf school owner, he was popular with both castaways and viewers, and was only voted off because he was very likely to win.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- Charlotte from 2021 remains the only person in the UK to win 7-0 at Final Tribal Council.
- The audience in 2002 voted 89% for Jonny to win versus 11% for Susannah. Ouch.
- Dark Horse Victory: Charlotte in 2001.
- A Death in the Limelight: Jess in 2023. Many viewers liked her social game and personality, but by playing under the radar and only having a Confession Cam on the day she went out, this seemed very much like this.
- Diabolus ex Machina: The flip to more mental-based challenges after the merge in 2023 screwed over Lee.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Many of the challenges in 2023 just so happened to have appeared on the 2001 series too.
- He-Man Woman Hater: Lee. One of his biggest traits was his wish for a 'boys' alliance' to root out the female members of the La Nena tribe, to be better at challenges. This divisive gameplay left him vulnerable after the merge and challenges became much less physical. Later inverted when he accused Chris at the final Tribal of coming up with the strategy, which possibly handed Matty the win ahead of Chris.
- I'm Not Here to Make Friends: Shai was considered to have a weak social game, and inadvertently came across as this. However, his challenge prowess kept him in until Day 18, and he was unlucky not to get to the merge.
- Oh, Crap!: The lobster trap fiasco in 2023. Chris and Matt are trying to get Nathan out at next Tribal and find a hidden idol washed up in a lobster trap. Matt decides to put it back in the trap for safekeeping, but doesn't lock it properly; and Nathan - by pure coincidence - decides to check out the lobster trap, and Matty realises when he comes back to get the idol that he's taken it.
- Orange/Blue Contrast: The two tribes' colours in 2023.
- Read the Fine Print: Many viewers were confused by the fact that hidden idols in 2023 lasted in relation to the game, not in relation to players themselves.note
- Reality Show Genre Blindness: A particularly bad case of this on the 2023 reboot. Leilani, who somehow scraped through to second place, didn't even know the game had a strategic element.
- Romance on the Set: The 2001 series had a love affair between eventual winner Charlotte and contestant Adrian. The tabloids lapped it up, but viewers just weren't interested.
- Shocking Elimination: Tinuke. She pretty much controlled the merged Calena tribe, until Elimination Houdini Chris managed to convince Pegleg and Matty to turn on her and blindside her at Tribal Council. It also provided the start Matty's Character Development needed, ending with him winning the show.
