Michael McIntyre forced to get The Wheel 'back on track' minutes into new series

An unexpected discussion about Michael McIntyre took place before contestants could begin playing on BBC's The Wheel, leaving viewers surprised by the opening of the show. Michael Ball, Kate Garraway, Isa Guha, Harriet Kemsley, Matt Morsia, Katherine Ryan, Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely joined the host as celebrity experts for the new series opener on Saturday, November 14. Their role is to help players answer questions and compete for cash prizes, with each famous face assigned a specialist subject to guide contestants through the game. But the quiz took a detour during Matt's introduction. While discussing the Gladiator's muscles, Michael offered a revelation of his own: "I have a freakish part of my body, which is absolutely enormous."

Michael went on to reveal: "It is my calves. What's happened, is that I walk and run on my toes, really embarrassing." He then demonstrated his running style by jogging around the studio.

"Because of that, I've ended up with calves that I think might be bigger than yours," Michael continued, before rolling up his trousers to expose his calves. The moment was met with a wave of applause from the audience.

Singer Michael Ball then chimed in to declare: "By the way, my calves are bigger." This prompted the studio to chant "get them out" and he duly obliged. The segment continued to draw laughter from the audience, but the host swiftly steered proceedings back to the game.

He said: "Okay, I think we need to get back on track. So, ladies and gentlemen, we must unify. We must become more than the sum of our creepy body parts. For we have a purpose tonight, and that is to win someone a lot of money."

He then introduced the line-up of contestants and got the game under way. Viewers at home were left surprised by the show's opening scene, with one posting on X: "Didn't expect the Michaels to be showing off their legs to kick off the series there."

But an even more memorable moment arrived at the programme's conclusion, as contestant Paul, a dental practice manager from Gosport, walked away with £110,000. It is the second-highest prize ever won on the show.

Fans flocked to social media to congratulate the winner. One wrote: "How lovely is Paul! Cracking win for him #TheWheel," while someone else added: "I'm so glad Paul won, what a lovely guy. #thewheel."

A third viewer posted: "Congratulations to Paul the winner of #TheWheel tonight. £110,000! ! ! What a lovely generous guy who deserved every penny."

Other celebrity experts expected to appear in series seven include Shaun Ryder, Big Narstie, Briony May Williams, Chris McCausland, ChrisMD, Dermot O'Leary, Ellie Simmonds, George Clarke and Harry Hill.

The Wheel is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

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