Iconic ITV show is AXED after a decade on air as competing show skyrockets in ratings
ITV has reportedly axed Ninja Warrior after five series.
Bosses are said to have pulled the plug on the fan favorite show, which first aired in 2015, following the success of the BBC’s 90s reboot show Gladiators.
Ninja Warrior followed the participants as they faced a grueling obstacle course with hair-raising jumps, near-impossible climbs, and the final challenge: climbing a near-vertical slope.
But the decision not to renew the show is because producers believe they cannot compete with the ratings of Gladiators, which attracted 6 million viewers.
“For years Ninja Warrior was one of ITV’s biggest shows, bringing in all the families who missed Gladiators,” a source said. The sun.
‘Ben Shephard, Rochelle Humes and Kammy made the series a great success.
ITV bosses have reportedly axed Ninja Warrior. On the obstacle course, participants took on hair-raising jumps, almost impossible climbs and ran up a near-vertical slope
But the success of BBC’s Gladiators is said to have been the cause of its demise
‘But when the BBC revived Gladiators last year, it sounded the death knell for the ninjas of ITV. It was an absolute ratings champ, attracting over six million viewers, compared to 1.6 million for the final series of Ninja Warrior in 2022.”
They then confirmed that the decision to abolish it ‘for good’ had been made concrete.
The decision to ax the show comes after furious parents shot Chris Kamara after he traveled to the grand final of Ninja Warrior UK – only to queue for hours in 30 degree Celsius heat and 40 seconds of action seen on a TV screen.
The ITV series, presented by Ben Shephard, Chris Kamara and Rochelle Humes, has just returned after a three-year hiatus.
But hundreds of people branded the Manchester event during a 2022 final as a ‘mess’ and a ‘s*** show of a day’.
The backlash started after Chris Kamara posted on Twitter encouraging more people to buy tickets to the show.
He told his 1.8 million followers: ‘There are still a few places left for the Ninja Warrior UK grand final… come to Manchester and join in the great fun.’
The decision to ax the show comes after furious parents shot Chris Kamara after he traveled to the grand final of Ninja Warrior UK – only to queue for hours in 30 degree Celsius heat
The backlash started after Chris posted on Twitter to encourage more people to buy tickets to the show
One parent tweeted: “Kammy, we just came out. We queued for 4 hours to see a rope climb – two very upset children! No one even went around the course. We watched the rope climb from a TV screen.”
Another user begged: ‘I know it’s not your fault but can you please join me? They were looking forward to it so much and it ended up being a terrible experience.”
The sixth season of the show, based on the 25-year-old Japanese program Sasuke, returns with a revamped format – pitting regular contestants against ‘Ninjas’.
On the show’s return, Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV, said the show will be “completely new, improved and revitalized, and will have all the electricity, excitement and entertainment needed to make compulsive Saturday night viewing possible.” to make.’
The recently returned ITV series, hosted by Ben Shephard, Chris Kamara and Rochelle Humes, has just returned after a three-year hiatus
Hundreds of people called the Manchester event a ‘mess’ and a ‘s*** show of a day’
After the event ended, Kamara was met online by irate parents, all sharing their disappointing experience of the day.
However, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
One user tweeted: ‘Honestly it was an absolute shame and my children were heartbroken.
‘Waited in line for four hours for a 40 second rope climb that we couldn’t even see. They are broken, I have no money left and the whole day was wasted and so disappointing.”
Another, who had traveled more than 130 miles from Newcastle, said: ‘It wasn’t great today, it was awful.
‘I traveled 130 miles from Newcastle with my three children, queuing for four hours in 29 degree sunshine, all to watch 10 seconds of rope climbing. Huge waste of our time. Shame on you.’
A spokesperson for Potato, producers of Ninja Warrior UK, said: ‘The Ninja Warrior UK team are genuinely disappointed that a small number of spectators at yesterday’s final did not enjoy their experience.
‘The audience is an integral part of Ninja Warrior UK, with more than 800 people attending each filming session every day.
‘The production team, presenters and staff at Manchester Central work incredibly hard to ensure the audience experience is exciting, enjoyable and entertaining.
‘During the filming of this series it was clear that the audience thoroughly enjoyed watching the show.
‘But we absolutely take the comments to heart and this is something we will take into account in the future.
‘The producers offer an unreserved apology and assure that they will work closely with their partners at Ninja Warrior UK to address complaints from the public as quickly as possible.’