Ben Shephard has reportedly had his beloved ITV show Ninja Warrior cancelled.
Ben – who is hosting Tipping Point Best Ever Finals on Saturday (November 30) – was at the helm of the gruelling TV series alongside Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara since the very first series in 2015. And for years, it was a staple on telly at the weekend.
However, it has now been claimed that the show has been ‘axed’ following the success of rival BBC’s Gladiators.
Ben Shephard show Ninja Warrior ‘cancelled’
Ninja Warrior’s first series aired in 2015 and its finale reportedly drew in 4.08 million viewers. Two years later, the show achieved its best performance in February 2017 at 4.18 million viewers.
But fans hoping for another series of Ninja Warrior will be disappointed, as bosses reportedly fear another season will be unable to compete with BBC’s Gladiators’, which reportedly pulled in six million viewers.
Ninja Warrior ‘axed’ due to Gladiators success
“For years Ninja Warrior was one of ITV’s biggest shows and scooped up all those families who missed Gladiators,” a source told The Sun.
They then added how the three hosts “made the series a big success”. The insider continued: “But when the BBC revived Gladiators last year, it sounded the death knell for ITV’s ninjas.
“It was an absolute ratings champion, pulling in over six million viewers versus 1.6 million for Ninja Warrior’s last series in 2022. A decision was therefore taken to rest Ninja Warrior for good.”
Gladiators on BBC
The rebooted version of Gladiators was hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney. A second series will return to screens early next year. A celebrity special is also happening, following the success of the comeback series.
Gladiators’ producer Dan Baldwin previously said on BBC Radio 4: “You always look at old shows no longer on television. You are always coming up with new ways of bringing back a show.
“There’s nothing wrong with that because those shows were great for a reason. We’ve always got an eye on what could come back and be a hit like Gladiators is.”
ED! has contacted ITV for comment.
Tipping Point Best Ever Finals airs on Saturday (November 30) at 4:30 on ITV1.
Read more: Ben Shephard announces break from This Morning as he teases ‘top secret’ project
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