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Catchphrase to resume filming with social distancing rules

ITV have confirmed ‘Catchphrase’ will resume filming next week.

The popular say-what-you-see game show – which is fronted by Stephen Mulhern – will become the first entertainment series on the channel to return to the studio on July 6th, following the coronavirus lockdown.

Stephen said: "We were always due to start filming now so it’s great that we are in a position that we can do so.

"It feels so good to be back in the studio and it’s taken a huge amount of work from the crew and all at STV Productions who make the show and ITV who broadcast it to get us back up and running safely. We can’t wait to start."

Bosses have deemed it safe to return after implementing a new set of strict social distancing rules.

Contestants will be asked to fill out a health declaration form online, and crew members will have their temperatures checked daily throughout filming.

There will also be physical changes to the set, as well as the galleries and make up rooms, and ITV have introduced "work bubble groups" to limit the amount of people in the studio with staggered start times.

ITV’s Head of Entertainment Commissioning Katie Rawcliffe said: "’Catchphrase’ is the first of ITV’s big entertainment shows to go back into the studio.

"All the teams have worked incredibly hard to get us back filming and the production team have protocols in place in line with government guidelines to make sure that we are doing this in as safe a way as possible for the crew, contributors and everyone involved.

"We can’t wait to get going and Stephen is the perfect host to kick off entertainment post lockdown."