{"id":415779,"date":"2026-02-09T05:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T05:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/415779\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T05:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T05:28:09","slug":"chris-evans-makes-major-comeback-with-tfi-friday-as-beloved-show-returns-to-screens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/415779\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Evans makes major comeback with TFI Friday as beloved show returns to screens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Evans has made a major comeback with the relaunch of TFI Friday and brought the iconic programme to his radio station almost 30 years after it first aired<\/p>\n

22:48, 08 Feb 2026Updated 22:48, 08 Feb 2026<\/p>\n

\"Chris<\/p>\n

Chris Evans has relaunched TFI Friday(Image: Channel 4 )<\/p>\n

Chris Evans<\/a> has relaunched his hit 90s series TFI Friday. The presenter, 59, fronted the hit series during its initial run on Channel 4 from 1996 until 2000 and it became staple viewing at the start of the weekend.<\/p>\n

The format featured a mix of live performances and celebrity interviews. Chris left the programme after the fifth series, and big names like the Spice Girls<\/a>, Davina McCall<\/a> and Elton John<\/a> stepped in to take the reins for the last run of episodes in the build up to Christmas<\/a> 2000. Now best known for fronting his radio show on Virgin, the TV star, who also presented the short-lived revival in 2015, has brought the programme back once more.<\/p>\n

The revamped version of the iconic series is currently being released on Virgin Radio’s YouTube channel<\/a>, and welcoming the audience to the first episode, Chris said: “Hello friends. Thank you for tuning in! Welcome to TFI Unplugged.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: BBC presenter Chris Evans breaks down as he pays emotional tribute to Eddie Jordan<\/a>READ MORE: This Morning guest sparks chaos by failing to show up to ITV show<\/a>\"Chris<\/p>\n

Chris Evans has relaunched his hit 90s series TFI Friday(Image: Copyright unknown)<\/p>\n

“On the way today, Delroy Lindo, currently nominated for Academy Award, Hollywood Sim Car of course. Also on the way, the hilarious Ross Noble going to be here!”<\/p>\n

Some of the more regular segments during the original run of the show included Freak or Unique, which encouraged participants to show off a strange talent. Other items included Fishbowl Challenge, Show Us Your Face Then and Sink Or Swim.<\/p>\n

The show also ran a segment called Someone’s Going to Be a Millionaire!, based on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?<\/a>, and on Christmas Eve 1999, TFI Friday became the first British programme to issue a \u00a31 million prize, almost a year before one player won the jackpot on the ITV<\/a> game show.<\/p>\n

\"TFIF\"<\/p>\n

The series briefly returned to television in 2015(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Chris became a major television star in the early 1990s, as the Channel 4<\/a> show The Big Breakfast which he presented alongside Gaby Roslin, before other showbiz favourites like Denise Van Outen<\/a>, Zoe Ball and Kelly Brook<\/a> took on the hosting role.<\/p>\n

He wrote and presented TFI Friday whilst working on the BBC<\/a> Radio 1 Breakfast Show, which he eventually resigned from whilst he was live on air in 1997 after Radio 1 refused to allow him to work a four-day week.<\/p>\n

He also presented The One Show on Fridays between 2010 and 2015, and later became the lead host of Top Gear in 2015 after the sacking of Jeremy Clarkson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Chris explained on his radio show that a reboot of TFI Friday didn’t need to be on television anymore thanks to the advent of streaming. He said: “Can I tell you a bit more about it?<\/p>\n

“Oh, sure. The thing is, you don\u2019t need a TV channel now. You don’t don’t need one. It’s amazing what you can do. TFI Friday doesn\u2019t have to be an hour long, it could be longer, we could livestream it!”<\/p>\n

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