Channel 5 has axed a reality show that aired only three episodes. The classic ’00s series Faking It was reprised by the channel in May but won’t be returning.
The programme saw contestants attempting to learn a new career in just four weeks.
Channel 5 boss Ben Frow has confirmed the revival was now finished despite only three instalments making it to air between May and June.
The once-popular show originally aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2006, and producers were confident the revival would bring in high ratings.
However, Mr Frow is understood to have admitted at the Edinburgh TV Festival: “I think it was a disaster [the show] didn’t work, because it was brilliantly made.”
The three episodes in the new series saw a fish fryer attempting to become a sushi chef, an estate agent becoming a market trader and a painter-decorator learning to become a make-up artist.
The content officer also confirmed Challenge Anneka, another attempted revival, had also been cancelled.
Mr Frow continued: “We realised two weeks before we put it out, it’s a make-up show, and they did home renovation shows since then.
“The world changed so much, what Anneka was doing – which was innovative 30 years ago – was [different to] now, and we won’t go there again.”
Challenge Anneka saw TV presenter Anneka Rice helping out local communities with huge projects, undertaking them in just a few days.
The show ran from 1989 to 1995 but made a brief Channel 4 comeback in 2023.
Similarly to Faking It, the reboot was axed after just two episodes after it failed to attract audiences.
The third episode was eventually shown two months after the first two, but the fourth instalment never made it to air.
Channel 4 had brought the show back with a primetime Saturday slot, with the first episode drawing in 1.25 million viewers.
The programme was in direct competition with ITV’s Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway as well as BBC’s Starstruck.
A spokesperson at the time stated: “The public and critical reaction to Challenge Anneka’s return has been amazing and we have decided to preserve the remaining two shows and reschedule them soon. We want to preserve the series to ensure that each episode gets the best audience possible.”
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Meanwhile, new Channel 5 star Vanessa Feltz, who left ITV last year and launched her chat show, recently opened up to GB News following axe rumours, also detailing why she doesn’t fear being “cancelled”.
Speaking to The People’s Channel on the NRTA red carpet ahead of her award win, Feltz stated while talking about audience responses: “I don’t think I fear it really, because I don’t think I’m thinking anything horrible.
“I think (cancel culture) is really dangerous if you’re a nasty person.
“I hope that I’m not harboring any thoughts that will get me cancelled.”