'They don't all work,' C4 says

Channel 4’s Host The Week has been axed after just one episode.

The opening edition of the new format, in which a celebrity is plunged into hosting a show with no instructions as to what will happen, attracted disappointing audience numbers and poor reviews.

Scarlett Moffat was the host for the opening episode along with guests including S Club 7 and Blue. But it attracted just 460,000 viewers – less than a third of the average audience that 9pm Thursday slot normally attracts.

This week’s episode was due to be fronted by Jack Whitehall, but it has been pulled. A third episode had also been commissioned from makers Tiger Aspect, with no host announced.

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: ‘We’re brave enough to take risks with innovative programme ideas but also to acknowledge they don’t all work and move on.’

As last week's show was airing, Rory Bremner tweeted: ‘Really, C4? Really? If we want to see a well known woman struggle with no script, no rehearsal and no idea, we watch the news.’

Tiger Aspect was trying to expand on the success of its hits reality-comedy-improv-gameshow hybrid Murder In Successville – but it seems that without that show’s creator Tom Davis, the new format failed.

Read Chortle’s review here.

Published: 26 Jun 2017