Hard of hearing actor Alim Jayda cast in Channel 4 reality gameshow ‘The Bridge’

Alim Jayda, a hard of hearing actor and child of Deaf adults (CODA), has been confirmed as a contestant on the next series of the Channel 4 gameshow, The Bridge.

The programme had its first series in 2020, and sees strangers work together to build a bridge to an island for the chance to win a cash prize, before the one individual decides whether to share the money with their teammates.

The second series will feature 16 contestants and be presented by Strictly star AJ Odudu and adventurer Aldo Kane, with the jackpot doubled to £200,000.

Speaking to The Limping Chicken about his appearance on the show, Alim said: “[I’m] really excited and thrilled to be apart of this supersized reality show. It was so important for me to raise awareness of the spectrum of deafness but also shine light on the rarely spoken reality for CODA’s and deaf families.

“I had no CODA representation growing up. The only one was Richard Griffiths, who rarely spoke of it, so I’m really proud to be waving the flag and hope to do my community proud.”

Described as “the ultimate test of physical ability, mental skill and teamwork”, the eight-part series is filmed in the tropical islands of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

“The teams will face surprise dilemmas and devious temptations that disrupt the whole competition as we discover who is prepared to deceive their teammates for their own personal gain. Working together is key, but in this pressure-cooker environment everyone must decide who to trust and where their allegiances lie,” a Channel 4 press release reads.

The Bridge starts at 10pm on Tuesday 7 June, with all episodes available to stream for free on All4 after the first episode.

Photo: Dean Belcher.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.