The title of Channel 4’s latest competition series, Game of Wool, hints at saucy scheming, so who better to host it than Tom Daley? During his recent stint on The Celebrity Traitors, Daley’s skullduggerous side-eyes caused a stir. Ditto his unbuttoned shirt. Views differ vis a vis the 31-year-old’s contribution (some thought: “Phwoar!” My feeling was: “You’re so vain!”). What’s undeniable is that the retired Olympian, knitting lover and LGBTQ+ activist made an impact, which will surely boost the fortunes of this eight-part show, marketed as the “anti-Great British Bake Off”.
Daley’s bod is very much on display in the Scottish “yarn barn”. In the first episode, which sees 10 knitting enthusiasts asked to create a tank top that tells us something about who they are, Daley models said tank-tops and thus gets to show off his outrageously toned arms. In episode three, he strips down to his Speedos. Yet the flashing of his flawless flesh doesn’t grate. Game of Wool’s scriptwriters seem aware Daley can’t get enough of himself, and playfully lean into that by giving him a co-host in the form of a knitted mini-me doll (“Wee Tom”). In this setting, Daley’s OTT persona is actually disarming. Later in the series, when a meek greyhound trots through the barn in a Ziggy Stardust outfit (complete with explosive orange “wig”), our MC all but levitates with delight. To say he’s passionate about this craft sounds like something from a press release. But he does appear genuinely flabbergasted by what the knitters achieve.
