Mel Giedroyc fronts new comedy format for U and U&Dave
February 3, 2026
U and U&Dave is set to launch new escape room comedy entertainment series The Way Out (4×60’) later this year. Produced by Tuesday’s Child, The Way Out is hosted by Mel Giedroyc and features Ed Gamble and Nish Kumar as team captains. Each captain selected their own team members for the series, with Ed Gamble enlisting Chloe Petts and Lou Sanders, and Nish Kumar selecting Amy Annette and David O’Doherty.
In each episode of The Way Out, Giedroyc will drop the two teams of comedians into a bespoke, themed escape room with one simple instruction: the winner is the first team to find ‘the way out’. What lies inside each room remains a complete mystery to the teams until the moment the race begins. Each room reveals a unique world of its own with multiple areas, features and mysteries to solve – “Gone Fishing”, “Fire Fighters”, “Shrink Machine” and “Art Heist.” At the end of the series, the win belongs to the team that conquers all four escape rooms with the fastest overall time.
Giedroyc said: “Hosting The Way Out means I’ve got the best seat in the house! AND IT IS THE LITERAL DREAM TO HAVE A SITTING-DOWN JOB. I’m overseeing the madness as two hilarious teams of comedians race the clock, crack the puzzles, and outwit each other. My job? Keep the chaos flowing, dial up the tension, and drop the odd hint when they’re really stuck. It’s RUDDY unpredictable and I loved every second of it – and what a treat it is to be back on U&Dave.”
Gamble commented: “There is nothing I love more than escape rooms and my ride or die teammate has always been Chloe Petts. They are smart, incisive and competitive – an obvious recruit for my squad. Lou Sanders is there to beat the other team up if they get out of line.”
Kumar added: “There’s no two people I’d rather be trapped in a room with than David and Amy, and we will be trapped because I’m very bad at escape rooms.”
The Way Out is based on an original Belgian concept created by Roses Are Blue for VTM and distributed by Be Entertainment. Local development of The Way Out was led by James Donkin at Curious Cat, the executive producer for Tuesday’s Child is Steph Harris and Will Brown is the Series Producer in co-production with Roses are Blue. The series was commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor and Jason Dawson, commissioning executive, and ordered by Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning and Gerald Casey, director of programming, comedy and entertainment.
Iddon said: “The Way Out reflects our ambition to deliver bold, distinctive comedy on U and U&Dave. What we loved straight away was how instantly gettable the idea is, and how much comedy it creates. You’re watching very smart people make terrible decisions under pressure, which is always a joy. It feels playful, a bit anarchic and genuinely competitive, and with Mel’s mix of warmth and mischief, she is the perfect person to hold it all together.”
Casey stated: “Escape rooms have exploded in popularity because they tap into something universal – we all love solving puzzles and trying to outsmart the unexpected. So, throwing comedians into that pressure cooker felt like a no‑brainer. The chaos of escape rooms mixed with the quick wit of some of the funniest people in the UK is television our viewers will love.”
Harris added: “We’re extremely excited to be on this journey with UKTV who are just as enthused as us to be bringing this format to a UK audience. The show is riotiously funny viewing from start to finish. Helmed by the brilliantly funny Mel, self-confessed escape room addict, Ed and Nish put their 20-year friendship to test as their teams race to escape a series of fantastical worlds – and the results are quite literally explosive.”
The Way Out will stream on U and air on U&Dave later this year.