In Spring 2016, James Abadi and Sam Pollard, who had previously co-created the format Release the Hounds, collaborated with Fremantle to co-found Dr. Pluto, an independent production company.
[1] The pair then booked a meeting with Paul Mortimer,[1] who in 2016 was appointed ITV's head of digital channels and acquisitions,[2] and had previously been complimentary of Release the Hounds.
[1] ITV announced the show in February 2019, and described Tracey as having been "thrown together by some sixth formers in the late 90's as part of their technology coursework" and "can usually be found tucking into a pie or painting her nails"; Joel Dommett was announced as host,[3] who would later describe Tracey as "a shit Siri from Wigan".
The show was successful enough to be commissioned for a second series in January 2020;[8] in March 2020, the United Kingdom went into lockdown due to COVID-19,[9] which meant that most studio recordings paused,[10] with Hey Tracey!
Prizes for this series included a pet food dispenser, vegan condoms, a night in a haunted pub, and snail and garlic flavour crisps.