Mark Wright and his family were dealt a blow this week as it was revealed their BBC travel show will not be returning for a second series.
Six-part series A Wright Family Holiday aired last summer and followed the TOWIE star, his footballer brother Josh and dad Mark Snr as they travelled from Scotland to Cornwall.
Yet despite healthy viewing figures and a good response from audiences, the programme has not been recommissioned.
While the Wright family may be disappointed with the outcome they can rejoice in knowing they have created one of the most iconic moments on reality TV.
Last year the family went viral with a clip of Mark Snr, 66, passing out during a 130ft bungee jump while his oblivious sons called out to him from the viewing platform.
As Mark dangled in the air like a swinging pendulum, Mark, 37, was seen repeatedly shouting ‘how do ya feel?’ to his unresponsive father, seemingly unfazed by the lack of response.
In a bid to spend some quality time together, Mark, his brother Josh, 34, and their dad had set out on a road trip across Britain which they peppered with a few white-knuckle activities.
Upon discovering that they would be flinging themselves off a bridge, Mark Sr explained: ‘Josh has chosen this activity to get one over on Mark, but he don’t realise that I am in the middle of it all. I could throttle him at the moment, I really could!’
He was then heard asking the instructor if it was ‘dangerous’, before adding: ‘Mark is in bits, it won’t surprise me if he don’t do it… or I don’t do it. But when I get up there, if I don’t fancy it, I just won’t do it.’
Yet determined to set an example for his boys, Mark Snr confidently threw himself off the platform and into the abyss… with shocking consequences.
The intense fall caused Mark Snr’s blood pressure to fall and heart rate to decrease, causing him to instantly pass out.
While he flopped around upside down in his harness, Mark Jnr and Josh were none the wiser as they called out to him.
‘Yes dad! Go on dad! How do you feel? Dad how do you feel?’ Mark questioned, but with met by silence from his father.
‘Dad, how do ya feel?’ Josh mirrored.
While the brothers seemed oblivious to the potential medical emergency unfolding 130 feet below them, the instructor sprang into action as he was heard on the radio asking: ‘Is Mark okay? He’s stopped moving.’
Thankfully, Mark Snr soon regained consciousness and as if nothing had happened at all he triumphantly threw his fist into the air as he was hoisted back up onto the platform.
Unfazed by his experience, he told his sons, ‘That was amazing but terrifying, that was terrifying!’
Still not having twigged that his father had lost consciousness, Josh said: ‘You weren’t answering us, were you shouting back when we asked if you were ok?’
Mark Snr then cleared up the matter by explaining: ‘I think I blacked out.
‘All I can remember is that I went into a swing and that was that.
‘Every thing else was a blur!’ while Mark Jnr responded: ‘You frightened the life out of me not shouting back.’
Despite the scenes going viral, the Wright family won’t be returning for a second season of their travel show.
A TV insider told The Sun that the series was ‘always going to be a suck-it-and-see job’ however it ‘wasn’t meant to be’.
‘If it went down well with audiences and got healthy viewing figures, the BBC would have been tempted to maybe explore another series,’ the insider revealed.
‘The Wrights would have been up for it, but it wasn’t to be.’
The source added though that a consolation for the Essex family is that the BBC is ‘still keen to work with them’ so another show could be on the cards.
A BBC Spokesperson said: ‘A Wright Family Holiday was commissioned as a one off and has not been axed.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
