Channel 4 bloodbath deepens as Steph’s Packed Lunch joins SAS Who Dares Wins, Scared Of The Dark and The Big Narstie Show on the bonfire of cancelled programmes at cost-cutting channel

Steph’s Packed Lunch has become the latest victim of Channel 4’s bloodbath as the broadcaster attempts to claw costs back.

The Channel 4 show, hosted by Steph McGovern, has joined SAS: Who Dares Wins and The Big Narstie Show in being axed at the struggling channel.

The Mail revealed over summer that Channel 4 staff are calling it a ‘bloodbath’ as big-money celebrity flop Scared Of The Dark and groundbreaking medical documentary Rescue: Extreme Medics, based in Scotland, also joined a growing list of cancelled programmes.

The mass felling of shows comes despite Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon reportedly earning £1.5 million last year, while freelancers bore the brunt of the broadcaster’s battle to save money amid financial difficulty. The channel’s profits fell from £101million to just £3million last year, The Standard reports.

Just yesterday, it was revealed that Steph’s Packed Lunch was the latest victim at Channel 4.

Steph’s Packed Lunch has become the latest victim of Channel 4’s bloodbath as the broadcaster attempts to claw costs back

The Big Blow Out was another Channel 4 show to be cancelled amid a raft of cuts at the broadcaster

Scared of the Dark has also suffered. The show fronted by Danny Dyer is not set to return for another series

The show, which debuted in 2020 and is broadcast from Leeds Dock, is live and features items including showbiz interviews and news segments. Cast and crew have been informed that the last show will air in December.

Last month ITV’s This Morning poached Channel 4’s executive producer Vivek Sharmar, who worked alongside Steph. Vivek is reportedly ‘a huge champion’ of Steph – meaning the star is now in the running to take over from Holly Willoughby who left the show after 14 years.

Steph’s Packed Lunch becomes latest C4 victim 

Steph’s Packed Lunch is just the latest C4 show to be axed amid a spate of cancellations. 

Other C4 casualties include: 

SAS Who Dares Wins

Don’t Tell The Bride 

The Big Narstie Show 

Send Nudes Body SOS 

The Big Blow Out

Five Dates A Week 

The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge 

Let’s Make a Love Scene 

A statement from Channel 4 said: ‘With audience habits changing quicker than ever, we have to make difficult decisions about which programmes to invest in to best drive our digital-first strategy and we have decided not to recommission Steph’s Packed Lunch when its existing production contract ends in December 2023.

‘We remain as committed as ever to our mission to help level up the TV industry outside London and to our 50% origination out-of-London target.

‘We will be reinvesting the budget previously committed to Steph’s Packed Lunch into other nations and regions productions.’

The announcement comes less than a month after it was reported that Channel 4’s iconic reality series Don’t Tell The Bride could also be facing the axe after 16 years. 

The hugely popular show, which originally aired on BBC Three, saw couples given £14,000 to spend on their wedding.

Channel 4 say that the show could always return in the future despite it not being broadcast since 2020. 

A source told The Sun last month: ‘People are flocking to E4 right now to watch Married at First Sight UK in their millions – but whilst there’s no plans for Don’t Tell The Bride to return at the moment, it’s clear that people love the chaos and drama that wedding fever brings – so who knows what could happen!’

Channel 4 insisted that the decision to ‘rest’ Don’t Tell the Bride was not related to finances, adding: ‘The show was last broadcast in 2020, but there’s every chance our DTTB brides and grooms will walk down the aisle again in future.’

But the speculation comes amid a slew of other cancellations.

In May, it was reported that Channel 4 had axed hugely popular reality TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins after eight series. 

The broadcaster is said to be ‘shifting its focus’ to the show’s spin-off Celebrity SAS, meaning the original programme will be scrapped. 

In May, it was reported that Channel 4 had axed hugely popular reality TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins after eight series.

In June, The Big Narstie Show became Channel 4’s latest casualty, with the programme facing the chop after its fifth series

Send Nudes Body SOS, hosted by Vogue Williams, was canned by Channel 4 after just one series

A spokesman for Channel 4 told The Sun: ‘Due to the huge success of Celebrity SAS we have shifted our focus to prioritise this strand. A longer, eight-part series is to commence filming in the summer.’

Then just a month later, Send Nudes Body SOS, hosted by Vogue Williams, was canned by Channel 4 after just one series. 

In a statement the Channel said the makeover programme’s axing wasn’t for financial reasons but a creative decision.

Also in June, The Big Narstie Show became Channel 4’s latest casualty, with the programme facing the chop after its fifth series. 

Featuring comedian Mo Gilligan alongside rapper Big Narstie, the BAFTA-winning show launched in 2018 and stars comedy skits as well as musical performances.

The broadcaster decided not to renew the show for sixth series as part of a period of growth. 

In a sensational spate of cancellations, The Big Blow Out was also axed over the summer. 

The hair-styling competition programme was hosted by AJ Odudu and featured hairdressers Sam McKnight and Lisa Farral as judges.

It saw 11 experienced hairstylists compete against each other in a number of challenges to be crowned the winner.

In a statement, a spokesperson confirmed to TV Zone that the show would not be returning for a second series.

The mass felling of shows comes despite Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon (pictured) earning £1.5 million last year 

They said: ‘The Big Blow Out gave us many spectacular hair creations and we grew to love our passionate prodigies, but like all broadcasters we often have to make the difficult decision to stop making some programmes in order to make new ones.’ 

The crisis comes after Ms Mahon and her colleague Ian Katz fought off a Government plan to privatise it, with one of their arguments being that it funds independent production companies nationwide.

A source told The Mail on Sunday that the channel believes it is better to cut its losses. But staff blame Mr Katz for wasting money on expensive but little-watched shows such as reality series Rise And Fall, which is understood to have cost the channel £14 million – money which could not be justified because of its low ratings.

One insider said: ‘Everyone is calling it a Channel 4 bloodbath.

‘At first everyone was in total shock when Four Weddings was cancelled.

‘It’s almost unheard of that a show that is going really well is decommissioned, but as news started to spread, other shows were falling down too.

‘They were told that Ian Katz had been looking at the channel’s entire output, and they were sorry but it had to happen because there was no money.

‘The casting team were already in place to start on Naked Attraction and were all told they were no longer needed as they were not making another series.

‘They tried to lessen the blow to the show’s freelance crew by saying they hope to make another series in December, but that doesn’t help them now.’

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: ‘Every year, Channel 4, like all broadcasters, makes decisions about which shows to rest, return or conclude to ensure we always innovate and offer viewers the best range of programming. 

‘Additionally, with audience habits changing faster than ever, we need to focus our resources more rigorously and prioritise programmes that drive digital growth. 

‘However, the proportion of shows that we are choosing not to recommission is no different to recent years.’ 

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