The BBC has confirmed it is scrapping Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo as part of sweeping cost-reduction measures across the corporation.
Announcing the cancellations on Wednesday, the broadcaster acknowledged that “really tough choices” were necessary given its current financial pressures, and the news has been met with mixed responses.
“Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the Entertainment genre,” the BBC said in a statement.
The corporation described itself as “incredibly proud” of all three programmes, thanking cast and crew for “making them such a success over many years.”
Live At The Apollo is among the trio of axed shows
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BBC
The axings form part of a broader drive to deliver £500 million in savings over a three-year period, with further cuts to the content division expected in the months ahead.
The news sparked a polarised response on social media, with some viewers expressing genuine sadness at the decision.
“Gutted. Blankety Blank provides half an hour of harmless, chucklesome fun,” wrote one fan on X, while another said they were “genuinely very sad” about the show’s cancellation.
Others questioned the financial logic, with one user writing: “I can’t believe Celebrity Mastermind cost that much money to make. All it needs is a chair.”
Celebrity Mastermind has been axed, but the original show will remain on air
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BBC
Another argued: “B****y hell! Now Celebrity Mastermind is axed from the BBC! Axe some of the highest earners salaries that work for the BBC instead!”
Not everyone mourned the losses, however. “Nothing of value was lost. Live at the Apollo died decades ago,” one user posted, while another dismissed Blankety Blank as “the worst programme ever.”
One more shared: “Celebrity Mastermind – the complete opposite of the title – very few celebs and even fewer ‘masterminds.’
“Embarrassing to watch various idiots try to answer questions on a ‘specialist subject,’ then have no idea on gen knowledge.”
Blankety Blank has been axed with immediate effect
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BBC
Bradley Walsh’s revival of Blankety Blank, which returned to screens in 2020, has been cancelled with immediate effect.
Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo will each air one remaining commissioned series before being retired permanently.
The original Mastermind, presented by Clive Myrie, is unaffected and will carry on.
Live at the Apollo has been a fixture on BBC television for 22 years, serving as a launchpad for comedians including Michael McIntyre, Katherine Ryan, John Bishop, Russell Howard and Jason Manford.
BBC viewers were divided by the news
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GETTY
Celebrity Mastermind first appeared in 2002, building on the success of its parent programme by inviting famous faces to tackle specialist and general knowledge questions in aid of charity.
The BBC said it would announce digital plans focused on “stand-up and emerging comedy talent” to help fill the gap left by Live at the Apollo.
These entertainment cancellations sit alongside a wave of cuts already announced in June, when the BBC revealed it would be eliminating 550 roles across the organisation, including 200 in its news division. Estimates suggest between 1,800 and 2,000 positions could ultimately be lost.
BBC Content alone must find roughly £100 million in recurring annual savings, resulting in approximately 100 to 150 fewer hours of original television programming by 2027/28.
Radio 4 has already lost several programmes, including The World Tonight, Midnight News and Money Box Live.
Following the cancellations, staff were sent an email proposing an annual pay increase of just 1 per cent — well below the current rate of inflation.
The National Union of Journalists has called on the government to intervene “urgently,” describing the cuts as “devastating for audiences and communities everywhere.”