Dave channel drops Tom Allen-fronted format

Tom Allen-fronted comedy format The Island has been cast away after one series.

The format saw a recurring panel of contestants tackle a number of challenges that they might have to face if Stranded on a desert island after a shipwreck.

It was devised by comedians James Acaster, Ed Gamble, Lloyd Langford and John Robins, with the first series of eight episodes from March last year.

However, broadcaster Dave has now confirmed that the show will not be returning.

‘We’re really proud of what we did with this new format but there are currently no plans to bring it back,’ a publicist for parent company UKTV told Chortle.

Series one featured Ninia Benjamin, Sara Pascoe, Ahir Shah and Johnny Vegas taking on the challenges with Kemah Bob and Jason Forbes taking the role of roving reporters charting the progress.

The format – devised by the comics when they were Stranded together in New York by a storm – was not a hit with critics, with one-star reviews from The Guardian, which deemed it ‘beyond rescue’ and the Daily Telegraph, which said bluntly ‘it shouldn’t exist’.

The i went as far as saying it proved the entire panel show genre was dead, while in what, by comparison, now looks like a generous two-and-a-half star review this website said ‘this long-winded show is unlikely to really float your boat’.

News of the cancellation came after Allen told The Sun’s Bizarre column: ‘It was such a fun show to do and a real passion project for me so I’m hoping it might return at some point.’

Published: 24 Jan 2023