Viewers watched the England manager join Bear Grylls to try out his survival skills on Dartmoor in Bear’s Mission with Gareth Southgate, broadcast on ITV on Thursday night.
Social media reaction to the festively pointless escapade seemed pleasant enough but The Telegraph derided the show, claiming that Grylls had scored an “own goal with his Southgate adventure” – awarding it just two stars in a recent review.
Can Gareth Southgate draw on past experiences as he steps up to his toughest challenge? Bear’s Mission with @GarethSouthgate. Tonight 9pm @ITV@beargrylls pic.twitter.com/zepy9HsOEx
— ITV (@ITV) December 20, 2018
Nervous fans saw the man who led the national team to a World Cup semi-final go face first down a cliff in between heart-to-heart chats and sweeping landscape views that made us think it was just the two of them out there.
As the nation enjoyed the programme, these were the best tweets and jokes from Bear’s Mission with Gareth Southgate on ITV:
https://twitter.com/trimdonsmoggie/status/1075860558740709384
https://twitter.com/Tractor_Boy82/status/1075862990711345154
When I saw #bearandgareth trending I genuinely thought one of the greatest military survival experts this country has ever produced met Bear Grylls
Imagine my disappointment… pic.twitter.com/xoW8HpjbfO
— Mark McKinley (@markgmckinley) December 21, 2018
I love Gareth Southgate so much I’ll even tolerate Besr Grylls for an hour #BearandGareth
— Luke Vials (@Luke_Vials) December 20, 2018
‘Bear Grylls and Gareth Southgate team up in Dartmoor and perform death defying stunts, inbetween enjoying a penalty shoot out and some Maxwell House’.#bearandgareth pic.twitter.com/JtuVZNecWi
— Si ⚒ (@JusterCR8) December 20, 2018
The most football looking football ever! It could be an emoji ⚽️ #bearandgareth pic.twitter.com/WOc8nr68T8
— Shannon Tudor (@shandog87) December 20, 2018
If I wanted to see two men suck each other’s dicks in the countryside I’d watch Brokeback Mountain
Puts on Netflix #bearandgareth
— Jonny Holland (@JonnyBerlin84) December 20, 2018
“Gareth you’re going to be zip wiring between 2 cliffs with a 90 foot drop…” #BearAndGareth pic.twitter.com/FVwFqeDknW
— Scott (@scott_w88) December 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/MorganCampbel/status/1075863019857551361
#bearandgareth Watching Gareth go off the side of the cliff pic.twitter.com/QIzYXc5aNd
— sdelrosa (@Whathaveyadone) December 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/shardyyyyx/status/1075868241187270656
#bearAndgareth no back up saftey rope? Why say that when there was blatantly a back up safety rope??
— DUNCAN BURGESS (@DUN_CAN_B) December 20, 2018
Fucking hell can you imagine the state of the country if @BearGrylls got @GarethSouthgate killed climbing a frigging rock just for the sake of it? #bearandgareth
— Alex Hamer (@AlexHamer1) December 20, 2018
Bear Grylls almost killing Southgate isn't ideal. We've got a Nation's League to win!! #BearAndGareth
— Liam Kent (@tnekmail) December 20, 2018
SPOILER – Gareth Southgate doesn't die. Still making me anxious though, like "There's one steak bake under the counter and I'm three back in the queue" anxious #bearandgareth
— Damien St John (@damienstjohn) December 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/PaulStanley20/status/1075862800877174784
https://twitter.com/PaulFoz/status/1075864907596398593
https://twitter.com/TheSportsman/status/1075863259801100289
https://twitter.com/simoncookephoto/status/1075866882509561858
Ha! My youngest scampered up the side of Foggintor quarry this summer faster than Bear and Gareth, luckily he didn’t go headfirst over the side though #BearandGareth #Dartmoor https://t.co/2r4MfjT8or
— Bryonie Baxter (@bryonieb) December 20, 2018
Most British thing ever…
Gareth: 'It was windy, cold, raining, I just laid awake all night thinking"
Bear: "Good sleep?"
Gareth: "Yeah not bad" #bearandgareth— John Taylor (@john00taylor) December 20, 2018
Likeable chap, Southgate. Let's make him Prime Minister. #bearandgareth
— Distancing Diabetic Dad (@DiabeticDadUK) December 20, 2018