The twenty-sixth series of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

reality television programme ''

The Only Way Is Essex ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (often abbreviated as ''TOWIE'' ) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Originally b ...

'' began airing on 13 September 2020. This series was due to air earlier in the year, but in March 2020 it was announced that filming had been postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

. Whilst off air, it was announced that the series would return later in the year and would go back to airing two episodes per week, and that filming would take place with social distancing to protect cast and crew. Ahead of the series, it was announced that cast members Chloe Ross and Jayden Beales had been axed from the show. It was also confirmed that original cast member

Amy Childs Amy Andrea Childs (born 7 June 1990) is an English television personality and model. She appeared in the first two series of the ITV2 reality series ''The Only Way Is Essex'', and subsequently starred in her own reality series '' It's All About ...

would be returning.

Nicole Bass Nicole Fuchs (''née'' Bass; August 10, 1964 – February 17, 2017) was an American bodybuilder, actress, professional wrestler, and professional wrestling valet. She worked for companies such as Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling F ...

, Harry Derbidge and Fran Parman also returned. During the series, the show celebrated its tenth anniversary, kicking off on 6 September 2020 with a special episode entitled "''TOWIE Turns 10: All Back to Essex''". The ninth episode, airing on 11 October 2020, was extended and featured a number of flashbacks as well as one-off appearances from former cast members including Danni Armstrong, Elliott Wright, Frankie Essex and Mario Falcone. As well as this, a spin-off series entitled ''The Towie Years'' aired for ten episodes across five weeks beginning on 10 October 2020. The series focused on the most memorable moments from each year. A festive special, "''The Only Way Is Essexmas''" aired on 16 December 2020, where cast members Georgia and Tommy announced they were expecting a baby.

Cast

Episodes

Ratings

Catch-up service totals were added to the official ratings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Only Way Is Essex (series 26) The Only Way Is Essex 2020 British television seasons Media depictions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom Television shows about the COVID-19 pandemic