The BBC has announced the cancellation of three popular television programmes as part of a £500 million cost-cutting initiative. The axed shows are the long-running stand-up comedy showcase Live at the Apollo, the recent revival of Blankety Blank hosted by Bradley Walsh, and the charity spin-off Celebrity Mastermind presented by Clive Myrie.
Shows cancelled after years on air
Live at the Apollo is coming to an end after 22 years on the network. Blankety Blank, which was revived in 2021, has also been cut. Celebrity Mastermind has been cancelled after 24 series, though the regular civilian version of Mastermind will continue. The cancellations are part of a sweeping cost-cutting drive by BBC Content to save £500 million over three years.
Viewership decline played a role
Bosses are targeting at least £100 million in annual recurring savings, which will ultimately reduce original television programming by 100 to 150 hours across the network. Falling viewership also contributed to the decisions. Live at the Apollo dropped from 1.3 million viewers in 2018 to roughly 660,000 for its latest series. Celebrity Mastermind slid from an average of 4 million viewers in 2017 to 1.7 million. Blankety Blank fell from 5.5 million viewers during its 2021 launch to 2.3 million.
Reaction from viewers divided
BBC viewers have shared their thoughts on the axed shows, with many taking to Reddit. One wrote: "Live at the Apollo is a shame but it really has suffered the last few years with some truly terrible choices for acts." Another replied: "Honestly didn't know it was still going." A third said: "Live at the Apollo used to be on the top of my watch list. Now we're flooded with comedian's standup, either in segments (YouTube or TikTok) or full hour-long specials nearly every week." Another commented: "I thought Live at the Apollo could be cheap (it's essentially hard cam at comedy gig) but I can't remember the last time I watched it. Other two are very dated too." A viewer added: "I won't miss Blankety Blank, but Apollo is a shame. It used to be really good and introduced some great acts in its day but it had really dropped off." Another expressed surprise at Celebrity Mastermind, saying: "It must cost peanuts to make, it must really not be getting enough viewers to make it worth cancelling." Others said they "loved" Celebrity Mastermind, with one concurring: "Same, really sad about that one."
Final series still to air
According to reports, both Live at the Apollo and Celebrity Mastermind still have one final completed series remaining that will be broadcast before they disappear from screens for good. The broadcaster has indicated that further cost-cutting measures across its programming departments are anticipated in the months ahead.
