Channel 4 has cancelled yet another show with a celebrity host at the helm as bosses continue to wield the axe in a series major cost-saving measures.
The latest on the chopping block is Sandi Toksvig's The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge, which has been axed after just one series. Former Great British Bake Off presenter Sandi had began presenting the More4 show in 2022, which saw designers tasked with renovating a derelict mansion.
Over the course of eight episodes, designers actually ended up revamping a doll-sized house that was inspired by real-world designs. But, according to TVZone, bosses at the channel have decided not to bring the show back.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 told the Mirror: "Every year, Channel 4, like all broadcasters, makes decisions about which shows to rest, return or conclude to ensure we always innovate and offer viewers the best range of programming. The decision not to recommissionBig Tiny Design Challenge was not financial.”
It comes after the channel axed the Big Narstie Show, which first aired in 2018 and is presented by the rapper and comedian Mo Gilligan. The BAFTA-winning late night show featured musical performances and interviews with celebrity guests, and Channel 4 informed producers earlier this year that The Big Narstie Show was not coming back.
A spokesperson for the channel insisted that it was not axed due to ongoing cost-saving measures, but was cancelled as part of a “natural evolution” of its busy schedule.
“The decision not to recommission a sixth series of The Big Narstie Show is not part of our response to challenges in the advertising market,” they added, according to Deadline.
“We are immensely proud of the five series we have made of this innovative BAFTA-winning show but we have to look carefully at what we commission each year to make sure we continue to innovate and offer viewers a varied range of programming.
“We look forward to working with Dice, Expectation and Big Narstie on other projects in the future,” they concluded.
The channel previously denied claims that it had axed hit show Naked Attraction and rubbished accusations that there has been a “bloodbath“ at the channel.
