Channel 4 is set to launch a brand new reality TV series this July following months of anticipation and speculation.

Shipmates was due to launch its first-ever series in 2018 although the build-up to the series was marred by reports that the series was turned into a ‘drug-fuelled orgy’.

Finally, the booze cruise we’ve all been dying to see will air on Freeview TV.

Here’s everything you need to know about Shipmates on Channel 4, including cast info, start date and how to watch.

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What is Shipmates about?

Shipmates will follow two teams of friends as they set off alongside 2,500 holidaymakers on a luxury cruise.

The Channel 4 series has teamed up with Anchored Cruise, a luxury cruise trip service that takes party lovers on a boozy adventure across the Mediterranean.

The series will closely follow the excitable batch of 20-somethings as they let their hair down with an itinerary of pool parties, big-name DJs and some of the most exclusive events in the world.

Becky Cadman, Commissioning Editor for Factual Entertainment, said:

We’re excited to be working with Midlands indie Full Fat TV on a series that’s guaranteed to be full of sun, sea and sass.

What is the controversy surrounding Shipmates?

Reports from The Sun suggested that some of the travellers onboard were completely out of control during the week-long voyage.

According to The Sun, passenger Alicia Morris, said: “It was like a floating episode of Geordie Shore with drugs and escorts and a police raid or two. The show was being filmed all the time on the boat, with cameras everywhere.”

The paper also reported that as the arrived in Cannes, one Briton was arrested, while others throwing up in the swimming pool and being pushed around in wheelchairs.

However, a spokesperson for Channel 4 told Digital Spy that these reports were untrue in a statement:

Any suggestion that an arrest or drug investigation involved anyone in the programme is untrue. We cannot comment on the behaviour of other passengers.

When is Shipmates on Channel 4?

Shipmates will launch on C4 on Friday, July 5th.

It will air at 11 pm weekly, with five episodes in total.

With a start time close to midnight, it’s expected that the TV series will be pretty damn explicit and X-rated, so prepare for a show that will blow the PG antics of Love Island well out of the water.

Colette Foster, Channel 4 producer, said:

We’re delighted to be working with the extraordinarily talented team behind Anchored. They’ve given the cruise a millennial makeover and it’s set to be the most Instagrammed event this year.

Can I apply for Shipmates?

No.

The application process for Shipmates closed on April 13th, 2018, with filming also wrapped up.

A season 2 of the show has not been confirmed, although you can subscribe to Reality Titbit for info on this and how to apply.

WATCH SHIPMATES ON CHANNEL 4 EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT AT 11 PM FORM JULY 5TH