BBC cancels three long-running entertainment shows

The BBC has canceled three long-running entertainment programs-Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, and Live at the Apollo-as part of a major cost-cutting initiative announced on July 29, 2026. The corporation said the cancellations were "really tough choices" necessitated by ongoing funding challenges and are part of a plan to achieve £500 million in savings over the next three years.

While the main Mastermind series will continue with host Clive Myrie, its celebrity spinoff will end after one final, already-filmed series. Similarly, Live at the Apollo, which has aired since 2004, has one remaining series to broadcast. The current incarnation of Blankety Blank, hosted by Bradley Walsh since a 2021 revival, will not return. In a statement, the BBC expressed pride in the shows and thanked everyone involved in their production.

The decision follows a sustained decline in viewership for all three programs. Celebrity Mastermind's average audience fell from 4 million in 2017 to 1.7 million for its most recent series. Blankety Blank dropped from 5.5 million viewers in 2021 to 2.3 million, and Live at the Apollo declined from around 1.3 million viewers in 2018 to approximately 660,000.