The BBC has announced that its long-running music themed comedy panel show Never Mind The Buzzcocks has been axed after 28 series and 18 years on our screens.
The programme, which was first broadcast in 1996, was most recently helmed by Rhod Gilbert, with previous hosts including Simon Amstell and Mark Lamarr. Comedians Phill Jupitus, Sean Hughes, Bill Bailey and Noel Fielding have all featured as team captains throughout the show’s history. As well as blending offbeat humour with pop music, the show also gained a reputation for offending its guests – with celebrities such as BBC 6 Music presenter Huey Morgan, Ordinary Boys singer Preston and Motorhead’s Lemmy storming out of the studio half way through broadcasts.
The decision to cut the programme comes amid falling ratings, with viewing figures dropping from an average of 2.5 million in 2008 to 1.1 million for the latest series. This is despite a revamp in 2014 which was intended to improve audience ratings.
A BBC spokesperson said in a statement :
“After 28 series we’ve decided not to bring Never Mind the Buzzcocks back to the BBC, this will create space for new entertainment formats in the future.
We’d like to thank the team at Talkback, Rhod Gilbert, all the brilliant hosts over the years and of course Noel and Phil for the years of enjoyment they’ve given BBC Two viewers.”
