Channel 4 axes another hit comedy show after FIVE series amid mass TV culling
CHANNEL 4 has axed another hit comedy show after five series amid a mass culling to save money.
The latest programme to meet its maker is The Big Narstie Show, which first aired in 2018.
After five series, it has now been confirmed the Channel 4 show will not be returning for a sixth.
The show was hosted by rapper Big Narstie and comedian Mo Gilligan and took an anarchic approach to chat, musical performances, and topical comedy.
A Channel 4 insider told Deadline the show had been cancelled as part of a “natural evolution” of its schedule, and the decision was not a result of the on-going cost-saving measures at the network that have been reported in recent weeks.
They have seen a number of shows axed, rested for a year or shortened in length in a bid to save money.
It was previously revealed that Channel 4 was cancelling shows at the eleventh hour, as well as asking suppliers to rethink budgets mid-shoot and pushing projects back until next year in a bid to deal with the costs.
Khalid Hayat, Channel 4’s Director of Strategy, told a committee of lawmakers earlier this month: “Our priority throughout this period is to preserve shows as much as we can, to minimise any disruption or cancellations to commissioning and any decisions that we make are about ensuring the sustainability and delivering the sustainability of Channel 4’s remit delivery.”
Meanwhile, the show’s cancellation is the latest blow for Mo, 35, after it was revealed earlier this week that his BBC One series, That’s My Jam, was also facing the axe.