The Lancashire man who is TV's unluckiest star continues bad luck on new ITV show 99 to Beat

Last year, we spoke to the now 46-year-old Edward Oldfield, who lives in Kirkham, as he claimed to be the unluckiest person on British TV.

That is because although the father of two has appeared in over 50 TV shows over the past ten years and been watched by three billion viewers in 150 countries, he has only ever come away with a prescription of fake pills, a mug, an Elephant costume and a blue tick follower on Instagram courtesy of the late Caroline Flack.

Edward has surpassed his own bad luck even more so than ever this weekend as tonight he starred in the brand new ITV gameshow ‘99 to Beat’ and was unable to beat a single person, becoming the first person to be out.

Described as a mix beween Squid Game and It’s a Knockout, 99 to Beat, which premiered on ITV tonight, sees 100 ordinary people - including our Lancashire TV star - compete in a series of simple games to win a cash prize, all they have to do is not finish in last place.

So what happened to Edward this time?

Speaking to us ahead of the show’s premier, Edward said: “In 99 to Beat my strategy was to keep my head down and not be last out of all 100 contestants! In fact, given the chance, I would have bet my house that I wouldn't come last; all whilst being determined to win the crown and the cash prize.

“In the event, of 100 people all bidding to be the winner, and against odds of 100 to 1, I was first to be ejected! I had a great strategy to not be last; I think it was the right strategy, the problem was that it didn't work!

“In the first round, blindfolded, 99 large yoga balls would be dropped into the circle of 100 contestants, and the first 99 contestants to grab a ball and sit on it would be through to the next round. In my case I decided that it would be better not to rush straight to the centre of the circle and bump into other contestants, rather to walk slowly around the outer edges and catch a ball as it rolled out from the centre.

“Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. When the siren sounded to signify the first round had ended, it took a while for the reality to sink in; I couldn’t grasp that I had actually become the first person to be ejected. I was so sure of myself and hoping that after 54 shows I would no longer be a perennial looser!”

He did have one stroke of luck however...

Although Edward was the first to be kicked off the show, his charasmatic performance appeared to have won over the producers as he was invited back.

This was not the first time Edward has received such an offer -having appeared on four episodes of Steff’s Packed Lunch thanks to his popularity with producers - but this time he says it was not meant to be.

Edward explained: “Having been ejected, I was offered the opportunity to rejoin the show by the Executive Producer following the withdrawal of one of the candidates, however I considered that returning after being so categorically rejected would mean I lost the good will of the other contestants. Had I gone on to eventually win the show on a second attempt, it would hardly be seen as a win. I have learnt that it is better to leave on a high than win on a low!”

So is this the last we’ll see of Edward on British TV?

Reflecting on his 99 to Beat experience, Edward admitted it was not enough to put him off his television stardom dreams.

Edward told us: “I had a nice time filming and met lots of lovely people which is always the real prize. As for the future, I think the world still needs to see more of Edward Oldfield and I will apply for something different like Big Brother to give me a chance to at least get a good run at the competition before any threats of leaving the show. Maybe my happy-go-unlucky attitude will win over the public??? Who knows, but I think I have invested so much time and effort that surely my luck will turn at some point and now is not the time to give up.”

You can read all about Edward’s long list of unlucky TV experiences in our feature article about him here.