Vanessa Feltz was reportedly reprimanded by Channel 5 executives after mistakenly dismissing a genuine caller as a prankster, an incident that preceded the cancellation of her daytime show. The 64-year-old broadcaster, who had hosted her eponymous programme since March 2025, learned of the axe late last week, leaving her "completely blindsided" despite having recently signed a new one-year contract.
Prank Call Paranoia Leads to Bosses' Intervention
The show had been plagued by hoax callers for months, with impersonators posing as EastEnders characters or reciting pop lyrics. The situation escalated when Vanessa cut off a real caller sharing a sad story, assuming it was fake. A source told The Sun: "Vanessa had become so paranoid by prank calls that she kept cutting off real viewers thinking they were hoax callers. Channel 5 had to send flowers to one caller in particular who was telling a sad story and Vanessa insisted it wasn’t true and cut her off."
New Contract Offers False Security
Having signed a fresh one-year deal, Vanessa felt secure in her role. The source added: "After signing a new one-year contract, Vanessa would have felt secure in her position at Channel 5. So news that the programme was to be axed completely blindsided her. She would love the opportunity to work on different shows with Channel 5 going forward." The show averaged around 500,000 viewers per episode, significantly less than competitor Loose Women, which draws 800,000 to 1 million viewers.
Vanessa Expresses Shock and Upset
On her LBC radio show, Vanessa admitted she was "shocked" by the decision. She said: "It was a bit of a shock. It was meant to be a delightful year’s contract, the show was going really well… I was shocked to the core and very upset and I still am. It was only Wednesday at 3 o’clock that I found out." She believes Paramount, Channel 5's parent company, opted to air cost-free films instead. "They want to show Paramount movies every afternoon at two. It doesn't cost them any money because they already own them. I don't think I really came into the equation at all," she added.
Channel 5's Response and Future Prospects
A Channel 5 spokesperson confirmed the show would be "rested from July 17th" due to scheduling changes. They thanked Vanessa and her team for "18 months of warm, witty, wise and searingly honest shows" and noted she "remains a valued member of the Channel 5 family" with future projects under discussion. The chat show faced persistent prank calls, including impersonations of Kim Woodburn and references to killer Virginia McCullough, with hoaxes occurring up to twice a week and often going viral.
