ITV has demoted Graham Norton’s reality competition The Neighbourhood from its coveted 9pm primetime position to a late-night 10:45pm broadcast, following a dramatic collapse in viewing figures.
The programme, which marked Norton’s debut in the reality television genre, launched to an audience of 1.2 million but haemorrhaged viewers rapidly, with just 500,000 tuning in by its third episode.
Despite substantial financial backing and an extensive promotional campaign, the series has been labelled a disappointment by industry insiders.
One source told The Sun: “They threw everything at The Neighbourhood to make it a big success, but it’s ended up a bit of a damp squib.”
The show saw a dramatic collapse in viewers
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ITV
From today, the vacated primetime slots will be filled with archive programming, including a 2024 Long Lost Family episode and a 2021 Beat The Chasers celebrity special.
The format sees genuine households residing in a purpose-built neighbourhood, competing through various challenges with a £250,000 prize awaiting the most popular family.
ITV strategically positioned the series premiere between the two-part I’m A Celebrity… South Africa finale on April 24, hoping to capture that programme’s substantial audience.
Lifted Entertainment produced the show with ambitions of matching the BBC’s phenomenally successful The Traitors.
The TV presenter watched on as families battled it out
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ITV
Ed Daggett, Development Executive at the production company, had expressed optimism about competing with the hit series.
“The Traitors has been absolutely phenomenal in terms of the way it’s attracted reality fans and people who may not normally come to reality shows. Of course, we would want to come close to that sort of success.”
The entire 11-episode series is now available as a box set on ITVX.
Critics have been largely unimpressed with the programme, with The Guardian awarding just two stars and describing it as a “tired reality show” where “any sense of jeopardy is conspicuous by its absence.”
Just after a couple of episodes the viewing figures declined
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ITV
The Telegraph’s two-star assessment suggested producers had prioritised aesthetics over entertainment value, noting the show appeared more concerned with visual design than viewer engagement.
The Independent’s three-star review concluded that even Mr Norton himself “can’t save this trippy reality show.”
Audience reaction on social media proved equally harsh, with viewers dismissing the programme as “drivel TV” and “the biggest load of rubbish.”
An ITV spokesperson confirmed the scheduling adjustment: “The full box set of The Neighbourhood is now available to stream on ITVX. Additionally, the show will continue to air in an evening slot on ITV.”
The families voted each other off and moved them out of the neighbourhood
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ITV
Sources indicate the series is performing more strongly on the streaming platform than on traditional broadcast television.
Mr Norton had spoken enthusiastically about the production prior to launch, describing his astonishment at the scale of the Derbyshire set.
“Arriving in Derbyshire and seeing the set, I’d seen pictures but I didn’t quite understand the scale of it. It really is like being on a movie set, except it’s 360 – everywhere you look, it’s real.”
Not all viewer feedback has been negative, with some social media users praising the programme and suggesting it deserved a Saturday primetime slot.
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