Celebrity Traitors stars Joe Marler and Joe Wilkinson to reunite in new BBC series

The Joemance will continue as the celebrity pair take their unlikely friendship on the road, or rather the water

Fans went wild as Joe Wilkinson and Joe Marler developed a bromance, or a “Joemance”, on Celebrity Traitors last year. Those who enjoyed watching the pair on the competition series will be thrilled to discover that they will be reuniting for their own BBC series.

The Joemance will continue as the celebrity pair take their unlikely friendship on the road, or rather the water. The Friend Ship, which will be produced by Zeppotron, is a brand new series which will combine Wilkinson’s love of canals, Marler’s enthusiasm for adventure and their mutual appetite for complete childlike silliness.

Following their bond on Celebrity Traitors, the Joes will be getting to know each other better and genuinely testing their friendship in a (very) confined space as they take an intimate boat journey along Britain’s waterways. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter

Comedian Joe Wilkinson is taking his brand-new friend, former England rugby player Joe Marler on a trip fulfilling a lifelong ambition: a barging expedition across the UK culminating at the Falkirk Wheel – an engineering marvel connecting two distinct canal stretches.

Throughout the journey they’ll make numerous stops as they attempt to discover fun wherever it might be lurking – North Wales, the West Country, Birmingham, the Pennines, London and Edinburgh – encountering groups of friends from various backgrounds and adapting to the rhythm of canal life.

This voyage of exploration encompasses multiple dimensions, requiring them to master intricate lock mechanisms, confined narrowboat living quarters, and the phenomenon of male isolation.

They’ll be doing all of this while also deepening their understanding of one another (and discovering each other’s most exasperating quirks) as their developing friendship faces its most significant challenge to date.

Joe Wilkinson says: “I love canals, I love Joe Marler, I love drizzle. Making this show is absolute heaven for me.”

Joe Marler says: “I’m really excited to be spending an intense amount of time with my favourite hundy, Joe.

“Less looking forward to the claustrophobic canal boat he’s asked me to spend it on. But if we can get through that, I’m sure our bond will be stronger than ever. And if not, well, at least you know who your friends are.”

Patrick McMahon, Commissioning Editor, Factual at the BBC, remarks: “The nation took Joe and Joe to their hearts as their friendship blossomed on Celebrity Traitors, so we’re delighted to offer BBC viewers the chance to see them take their relationship to the next level as they set off in search of fun, adventure and the Falkirk Wheel.”

Peter Holmes, Managing Director at Zeppotron, states: “If I had to choose two people to steer a narrow boat into a canal wall it would be Joe Wilkinson and Joe Marler. Here’s hoping their blossoming friendship can survive the perils of Britain’s beautiful waterways.”

The Friend Ship will comprise of six episodes and has been commissioned for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

They are currently filming the series across the UK and will announce further details soon.