Channel 4 axes gruelling survival series amid string of cost-saving cuts and brutal reviews
AFTER only one season on screens, Channel 4 have axed one of their latest reality shows.
Alone featured 11 members of the British public who were dumped in the Canadian wilderness with one task – survival.
Participants were given 10 survival items each and then had to fend for themselves for as long as possible while filming their own adventure.
Its success across the pond has seen Alone run for ten series, with versions currently still going ahead in Germany, Denmark, and Australia.
Given the series came from the production company behind Squid Games, audiences were probably expecting to see some hardcore action.
However, the show ended up flopping massively, with outlets such as the Telegraph and the Guardian branding it “dry” and “very dull”.
Viewers at home gave it the low score of 22 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, slamming it for being “an insult to the original show”.
Another person wrote: “I am an Alone fan, and watched all the available seasons and episodes in the US, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Australia. So I was really looking forward to the UK version.
“But this was ridiculous. The clips jump from person to person, no understanding of time, or how anybody is really making the effort to survive.
“It seems like Day 8-10 before people really start putting any effort into finding food.”
After months of consideration over whether to develop a second series, it’s been given the chop.
This also comes a few months after Channel 4 announced huge cuts to terrestrial TV.
The broadcaster revealed a new five year plan in January which focused on streaming, pulling away from traditional television.
Alongside their new vision they shut down their London office and 200 jobs were culled.
The station has been hard hit by falling ad revenues in recent years and in May had a 4.48% audience share – the worst four-week figure in its 41-year history.
Channel 4’s CEO Alex Mahon said: “Channel 4 was designed to be ahead of the curve and has never stood still. The rate of change in our market is only speeding up.
“Our new strategy will accelerate our digital transformation – building on 2020’s Future4 strategy and our founding public service principles – so Channel 4 remains a trusted, disruptive and distinctive brand into the 2030s, offering brilliant shows that people love and that matter.”
She added: “While getting ourselves into the right shape for the future is without doubt the right action to take, it does involve making difficult decisions.
“I am very sad that some of our excellent colleagues will lose their jobs because of the changes ahead. But the reality of the rapid downshift in the UK economy and advertising market demand that we must change structurally.
“As we shift our centre of gravity from linear to digital our proposals will focus cost reductions on legacy activity. In preparing for a new digital-first future, I hope we can make Channel 4 simpler – for staff and our suppliers – and create a more efficient, inclusive and high performing organisation.”