The British reboot of Survivor has been cancelled after just one series due to a drop in ratings compared to what BBC bosses expected the reality show to rake in
The BBC has officially pulled the plug on its high-profile reboot of Survivor, despite splashing £30million on the reality competition.
The decision cements the show’s comeback as one of the most expensive flops in British television history. The rebooted series, which aired last October, had been tipped as a major primetime hit.
The programme was hosted by Joel Dommett and given a coveted slot directly after Strictly Come Dancing in the Saturday night line-up. But despite the BBC’s backing, the adventure series failed to capture the attention of the British public, drawing an average audience of just 2.6 million viewers. It comes as ITV axes Noel Edmonds’ big TV comeback after just one series.
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Dommett has admitted he was shocked by the cancellation, telling The Sun: “It just shows you how nothing is a given in telly. I thought Survivor would be huge.
“I thought that would be my job for the next 20 years. I’ve done shows and thought that’s not coming back and it keeps coming back and then you do something like Survivor, which you think is guaranteed and it doesn’t come back.”
Survivor has been a global hit for decades, particularly in the US where it has been on air for 25 years and continues to pull in strong ratings.
The format sees contestants marooned in a remote location and forced to compete in gruelling physical and mental challenges while battling for supplies, rewards and immunity from elimination.
The first British edition of the show appeared in 2001, when ITV launched two short-lived series hosted by Mark Austin and then Mark Nicholas.
Despite its international reputation, British audiences failed to engage with the show then, and history appears to have repeated itself two decades later.
The BBC’s reboot, which was filmed in the Dominican Republic in the summer of 2023, was meant to modernise the series for a new generation. In it eighteen contestants were tasked with battling it out for the title of Sole Survivor and a £100,000 prize.
However, viewers were unimpressed, with some branding the show “boring” and poorly suited to BBC One’s Saturday night slot. One disgruntled fan posted on X: “I’m bored already #Survivor.” Another added: “Good grief. Is this really what the #BBC think the great British public want to watch on a Saturday night?”
Speculation over the show’s future began in February 2024 when the BBC quietly paused applications for a second series. A message on the Survivor UK website read: “As things stand, we are not processing or taking any further applications at this time.”
At the time, the broadcaster insisted no final decision had been made, raising hopes among fans that the series might still be saved. But insiders have confirmed the axe has now officially fallen, with one source bluntly describing it as “TV’s most expensive flop ever”.
Despite this disappointment, Joel Dommett remains one of Britain’s most in-demand presenters. He will front the National Television Awards next month on ITV and is also lined up to host new reality show Celebrity Sabotage.
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