ITV's plan to poach Graham Norton from the BBC is reportedly in chaos after his new show The Neighbourhood suffered plunging ratings. Despite being one of the BBC's biggest stars for decades, Norton switched channels to launch the new reality series. However, with plummeting viewership, doubts have arisen over whether ITV can successfully lure him over.
Ratings Disaster
The show was given a prime slot for its launch, sandwiched between the I'm A Celebrity All Stars final, but it has fallen to just 500,000 viewers by episode three. These ratings are believed to be similar to those of Genius Game and The Fortune Hotel, which have since been cancelled by ITV. A source told The Sun: 'It would be a huge coup to tempt Graham away from the BBC with a long-term project. They threw everything at The Neighbourhood to make it a big success, but it's ended up a bit of a damp squib.'
Critical and Public Reaction
The Neighbourhood has been branded 'dreadful' and a 'brazen attempt to replicate the success of The Traitors' by television critics and viewers alike. The 11-part reality series sees real households from across the UK compete in a street-wide popularity contest, with a prize of £250,000 for the last house standing. Chat show host Norton oversees events and stirs the pot via a group WhatsApp chat.
One viewer wrote: 'Oh my goodness it was dreadful. I have a huge capacity for 'drivel' TV but I couldn't stay with this after 15 minutes. Awful TV.' Another penned: 'Seems like ITV is trying desperately to make a show that will have the success The Traitors has.' Others commented: 'Turned it off, the biggest load of rubbish' and 'I turned it off after 10 minutes'.
Not all reactions were negative, however. One fan posted: 'Am I the only person who's loving #TheNeighbourhood. I actually really like all the families. This is the type of normal people we want cast on Big Brother.' Another agreed: '#Theneighbourhood is gooood, better than Britain's got talent, I would put The neighbourhood on prime time Saturday.'
Critical Reviews
In a three-star review, Metro described the show as 'the latest – and arguably boldest – brazen attempt to replicate the colossal success of The Traitors.' The Guardian's two-star review read: 'Any sense of jeopardy is conspicuous by its absence. Norton lifts the energy when he's there but is only present for the welcome and removals-voting.' The publication also branded The Neighbourhood as a 'tired reality show'. The Telegraph stated in their two-star assessment: 'The show is full of quirky little design touches like this, and it seems as if the producers have put more thought into how it looks than how engaging it is to watch.'
Background
Graham was first confirmed to front The Neighbourhood - his first reality TV project - back in February 2025. He told The Sun at the time: 'Like everyone, I'm always intrigued by what goes on behind closed doors. Add to that some dastardly challenges and a life-changing prize and I'm hooked. I feel confident that The Neighbourhood will be the nation's favourite destination.' The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Graham and ITV for comment.
