ITV to completely switch off all channels for an hour

ITV is going dark this weekend, taking all seven of its channels off-air to encourage people to get off their sofas in the wake of Team GB’s Olympics success.

ITV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, ITVBe, ITV Encore and CITV will cease broadcasting at 9.30am on 27 August, as part of the (annoyingly named) I Am Team GB campaign.

At the same time, thousands of sports clubs across the country will open their doors and allow erstwhile couch potatoes to try new sports for free.

ITV would normally show Murder, She Wrote at this time, while ITV2 would have a Coronation Street omnibus.

The stunt is part of a Bank Holiday weekend celebration of Team GB’s magnificent Olympic haul, with British medal winners including Greg Rutherford taking part.I

The day is described by I Am Team GB in a statement as "a homecoming for our lottery-funded Olympic athletes when they return from Rio, inspiring everyone, no matter what their level of fitness, to come together with Olympic heroes and famous faces from ITV in the biggest ever UK-wide sports day".