Bradley Walsh found himself at the centre of an unusually chaotic moment on Play to the Whistle when Holly Willoughby repeatedly slapped him across the face during a demonstration of one of the show’s games.
The 56-year-old The Chase presenter was appearing as a team captain on the ITV comedy panel show when Holly introduced the bizarre new game, Face Invaders.
Rather than simply explaining how it worked, Holly appeared to throw herself into the demonstration—and Bradley quickly discovered that being the volunteer came with its risks.
Bradley Walsh SLAPPED in face by host Holly Willoughby on Play to the Whistle
Bradley Walsh uses a dummy to protect his teeth
Bradley prepares for the attack
Before the game began, Bradley tried to protect himself by putting a dummy in his mouth.
“I couldn’t find a gum shield so I’ve got a dummy,” he joked.
Comedian Jimmy Carr was quick to mock his preparation, asking: “Why don’t you just take out your dentures?”
Bradley could only protest as the chaos continued.
“He’s whacking me around the head!” he exclaimed.
Holly, meanwhile, appeared more than happy to continue with the demonstration.
Holly Willoughby holds Bradley Walsh’s head back
Bradley Walsh slapped on Play to the Whistle
Holly tells Bradley to “take it like a man”
As Bradley braced himself, Holly encouraged him to endure the game.
“Take it like a man,” she told him.
Jimmy Carr then took the joke in a deliberately suggestive direction, leading to a string of innuendo between the comedians and Bradley.
The bizarre exchange added to the increasingly chaotic atmosphere in the studio as Holly continued demonstrating the game.
At one point, Holly also used Frank Lampard as another participant, repeatedly hitting his cheeks while explaining how contestants were supposed to play.
“As soon as you see the hurdle coming into sight, then you need to hit red really hard and that will jump,” she explained.
She then added: “Just for my pleasure, just hit it harder than you think as well.”
Bradley gets his revenge
Bradley was not prepared to let Holly have all the fun.
Later in the show, he appeared to get his own back with a cheeky remark about the presenter, joking about her having “a few drinks with the lads” before “getting her bazookas out”.
The exchange was typical of the irreverent humour that made the segment such a talking point among viewers.
Viewers love the bizarre game
The Face Invaders demonstration quickly generated plenty of reactions online.
One viewer joked that the men involved must have been enjoying being slapped by Holly, while another said Holly seemed particularly enthusiastic whenever she had the chance to demonstrate the game.
A third viewer wrote that they were “loving the new game face invaders” and could not stop laughing.
Bradley also received plenty of praise from viewers, with one calling him “the best guy on tele”.
Another described the presenter as a “national treasure” as he appeared with his head poking through the slot in the game machine.
The unusual segment provided plenty of laughs for the studio and viewers alike, with Bradley’s increasingly helpless reactions becoming one of the night’s highlights.
** Play to the Whistle continues next Tuesday on ITV at 9pm.**