BBC cancels Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo due to budget cuts
The BBC is cancelling three entertainment shows, including Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo, as part of a plan to save £500 million over three years. The corporation cited declining viewership and the need for financial savings as the primary reasons for these cuts.
Why it matters
This reflects the ongoing financial pressures facing public service broadcasters and the shifting landscape of traditional television consumption.
Image caption, Bradley Walsh on the set of Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo have been cancelled by the BBC, as the corporation makes further financial savings.
The main Mastermind series will continue, with Clive Myrie remaining as host, but the celebrity spin-off will end after the next series, which has already been filmed.
In a statement, the BBC said it was "incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows" and thanked the programmes' production teams.
"Unfortunately," it continued, "we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the Entertainment genre."
Viewing figures for all three shows have fallen over recent years. Celebrity Mastermind has dropped from an average of 4m viewers in 2017, to 1.7m for its most recent series.
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