A BAFTA-nominated TV show is the latest addition to the list of Channel 4 programmes being axed due to cost-cutting.
Despite initial rumours of a second season and even talks of Nigel Farage joining the show, Banged Up will not be returning to TV.
The first season of the four-part documentary series, which first aired in October 2023, followed a group of male celebrities as they swapped normal lives for a stint in Shrewsbury’s decommissioned prison.
The participants were locked up for eight days, during which time they were locked in cells, given jobs, and subjected to body searches. They were cared for by real former prison guards and real ex-criminals.
Stars taking part in the first season included EastEnders actor Sid Owen, Gogglebox star Marcus Luther and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens.
A BAFTA-nominated TV show is the latest addition to the list of Channel 4 programmes being axed as the broadcaster struggles with cost-cutting cuts
Despite initial rumours that a second series is in the works and even talks to rope in Nigel Farage for the show, Banged Up will not be returning to TV screens
Other celebrities taking part included former MP Neil Parish, comedian and actor Tom Rosenthal and former Strictly Come Dancing star HRVY.
Participants were able to ask their cellmates questions about their experiences in prison and explore the impact their prison sentence had on them.
The experiment was conducted by a former prison governor with 20 years’ experience in some of the UK’s most notorious prisons. All participants lived under current UK prison rules.
Banged Up was such an impactful film that it was even nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Reality Series, although it lost out to Netflix’s Squid Game.
An insider said on Wednesday The sun: ‘Producers were shocked by Channel 4’s decision to ax the show.
‘They had high ambitions to get people like Farage on board and had some good names in mind.
‘Pundits raved about the show and it was appreciated by viewers, so it seems a strange decision to cancel it. It must be purely for financial reasons.’
The broadcaster has confirmed that the programme will not return, describing it as a ‘one-off social experiment’.
Season one of the four-part documentary series, which first aired in October 2023, followed a group of male celebrities as they traded their normal lives for a stint behind bars
Among the stars who took part in season one were EastEnders actor Sid Owen, Gogglebox star Marcus Luther and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens (pictured above)
Banged Up was such an impactful film that it was even nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Reality, but lost out to Netflix’s Squid Game (pictured MP Johnny Mercer)
A Channel 4 spokesperson added: ‘Banged Up was a unique, one-off social experiment that was commissioned for one series only.’
But even before the unusual documentary’s success, it was reported that the channel was eyeing a number of female celebrities for a second season, with Farage also set to appear as a contestant.
Before the show aired, an insider told The sun: ‘Channel 4 is pretty confident that Banged Up will captivate viewers when it airs, so they’ve been thinking about a sequel for a while.
‘And it was a no-brainer to do a women’s version in a women’s prison and with only female prison staff.
‘But of course they will keep a close eye on how the first series is received.’
However, the project would never get off the ground as the programme was brutally axed in the latest in a series of budget cuts at Channel 4.
The channel has cancelled a number of programmes this year and announced in January that it plans to lay off hundreds of employees.
The broadcaster is also leaving its London headquarters, the Horseferry Road office where Channel 4 has been based since 1994, and moving to new offices elsewhere in London.
The broadcaster has recently been forced to cancel a number of programmes, including SAS: Who Dares Wins and Steph’s Packed Lunch (pictured), as part of efforts to cut costs
Danny Dyer’s popular show Scared of the Dark has also been cancelled after just one season, despite its huge success
In June, the closure of five channels was announced: The Box’s music channels: 4Music, The Box, Kiss, Magic and Kerrang!
A Channel 4 spokesperson said The sun: ‘As we announced earlier this year as part of Channel 4’s Fast Forward digital strategy, we are closing our Box network of channels across all platforms from 1 July, as they are no longer large enough to deliver a meaningful return on investment.
‘Our strategy reflects the generational shift in TV viewing and involves reducing costs, particularly in linear businesses, to invest in digital priorities and remain competitive in a world of global entertainment conglomerates and social media giants.’
The broadcaster has recently had to cancel a number of programmes, including SAS: Who Dares Wins and Steph’s Packed Lunch, as part of a bid to cut costs.
Danny Dyer’s popular series Scared of the Dark was also cancelled after just one season, despite its enormous success.
In the experimental TV show, all kinds of famous faces had to live in complete darkness for a week, while carrying out all kinds of tasks.
Former footballer Paul Gascoigne was crowned the winner of the series after living in complete darkness for eight days, beating Love Island’s Chloe Burrows, former boxer Chris Eubank and comedian Chris McCausland in the competition.
Despite attracting over a million viewers, Channel 4 has decided not to return for a second season, according to Deadline.
From September, fewer episodes of Hollyoaks will also be broadcast on Channel 4.
The soap, which is broadcast via streaming, E4 and YouTube, will go from five to three episodes per week.
The broadcaster said it was making the change because it was “the optimal pattern to keep home audiences engaged and attract new viewers in a highly saturated content market”, based on data from Channel 4.
Meanwhile, Channel 4’s Hollyoaks will also air fewer episodes per week from September (Malique Thompson Dwyer and Jennifer Metcalfe pictured in 2021 soap)