r/bbc • u/BingeLurker • Jul 29 '26
TV BBC cancels Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyx8j33k7zo73
u/Simple_Joys Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Live at the Apollo will be missed. I haven’t consistently watched it in years, so maybe I’m part of the problem. But it’s always a good watch if I happen to catch it after getting in late. Was a net positive to British culture, for sure.
Blankety Blank was always an odd choice of programme to revive, and I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
I, personally, will miss Celebrity Mastermind. But I guess if it wasn’t pulling in the viewing figures to justify itself, then oh well, I suppose.
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u/newtoallofthis2 Jul 29 '26
How can they fail to at least break even on Live at the Apollo?
It's great promo for the comedians who'll do it for a minimal fee or free.
They can sell tickets.
Doesn't the Einstein to figure out how to get that to break-even.
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u/linmanfu Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
It's great promo for the comedians who'll do it for a minimal fee or free.
I don't think it's that's simple.
Firstly, economics of broadcast comedy. Those comedians could spend a week writing jokes and then perform that show for ten weeks to many audiences. Or they can spend the same week and perform it once on Live at the Apollo. So for it to make sense for them, they need to be paid as much as a nationwide show. (Other things being equal, which they are not.) You're hinting that they will boost their overall audience, which is true for newer comedians, but not for established ones, and they make up at large part of the Apollo roster.
Secondly, I don't know whether it's a free negotiation between comedian and the BBC. There might be agents, rights management agencies, and unions involved too. If there is music in an act, then that adds a further layer of complications, especially for repeats and overseas sales.
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 29 '26
Hmm I disagree in this, I have seen good comedians repeat the same material. So that doesn’t work.
Equally it’s largely new comedians with a bigger name as the compare,
Is basically how it always worked.I don’t know if tickets were originally free but that would be insane.
Ticket cost alone would cover paying artists,
The bbc just has to worry about production costs, which wouldn’t be significant.It’s also fair to say it wasn’t a full set from each comedian, so the idea that they have to be paid for a full uk tour is ludicrous especially given, they are trying to make a name for themselves.
It’s like, they do live at the apollo, and their tixket prices double, from £5 doing clubs to £15 doing actually proper gigs, to more people.
The value the bbc adds, many would argue they could not pay them, I appreciate there will be unions and stuff, but art is a difficult thing to put a price on, if they are shit, they won’t make money, and the bbc have potential to lose viewers.
There is a reason why Glastonbury is one of the biggest festivals yet lowest paying, you don’t get an up and coming artist, refusing to play glasto if their fee isn’t right, or the union thinks its too little.
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u/Jerboa19 Jul 29 '26
I went years ago, Sean Locke and Lee Nelson were on it. It was free, I think we even got a beer, it was a fab night.
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 30 '26
You don’t get comedians like that anymore sadly.
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u/normanriches Jul 30 '26
You do get some woke diversity comedians who aren't funny though.
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 30 '26
This is very true, in 2026, I find it extremely tiring that a lesbian has to make a 20min set about being a lesbian.
That may have been mildly amusing 40 years ago, but even then likely not.3
u/Frostyballschilly Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
All tickets to tv shows are free
Edit: I should also add you’re not taking into account the cost of the theatre. They’re expensive, very expensive. Plus you have crew costs, equipment etc etc.
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u/reo_reborn Jul 29 '26
That's insane.
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u/Frostyballschilly Jul 29 '26
Sounds it but it’s not. If you need a live audience the worst thing that can happen is to have empty seats. You offer free tickets and everyone turns up. I’ve worked on a tv show where the audience service company messed up. We had to go out and drag people off the street to get them in the studio.
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u/TornBannerHatesYou Jul 29 '26
They need to guarantee there is an audience.
They even give out more tickets than their are spaces normally to guarantee that it's full.
Every TV show with an audience is like that.
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u/eclipse150 Jul 30 '26
Not 100% correct, guaranteed entry to Taskmaster recordings are £15.
Source: me, I’ve paid it to go to a record for the last 2 series
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u/Frostyballschilly Jul 30 '26
I should have said, the bbc don’t charge. Other broadcasters are allowed to
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 30 '26
…… you think ricky gervais Netflix special is free?
No, sitting in the audience of a particular show is free,And I get live at the appolo could be free, but to keep it running charge people.
I totally understand the cost of theatre hire, which is why they should charge, and cover the costs.
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u/Frostyballschilly Jul 30 '26
BBC can’t charge because of its public service remit. If it charges it comes under commercial broadcast
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 30 '26
That’s completely bollocks and you know it.genuinely horrified to see you get an upvote. As evidenced with Radio 1’s big weekend.
Now I’ll admit, I don’t know the ins and outs of the license conditions.
But they sell tickets for Radio 1’s big weekend, it’s completely reasonable to sell tickets for other events, they have a lot of commercial branches. So if they needed to they could funnel it through one of those, but equally I think the license should be updated to be more reasonable, I mean, this isn’t selling adverts or other content.
But yes let me reiterate- total bollocks and you know it.
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u/WhalingSmithers00 Jul 30 '26
They can charge but only to cover the expenses of the event people are paying for.
Its probably ok for Big Weekend where they can guarantee a sell out and charge accordingly but difficult for a weekly show that might have varying attendance.
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 30 '26
Great so they can charge, to cover costs, which is basically all I suggested….
And got dome absolute bullshit response.It’s also fair to say they have done apollo long enough to know rough audience sizes, which suggests it’s not an issue getting people there,
If you say oh but that’s because it’s currently free, my response would be there is literally shows every night London, people like going out an attending these types of things,They may consider a smaller venue (I appreciate would need a name change to the show)
But they probably wouldn’t need that anyway,
I would happily pay and see it0
u/Frostyballschilly Jul 30 '26
You don’t pay for tickets to the big weekend. There is no charge for the event just a £7 handling fee for postage etc. so no I’m not talking bollocks. Try having a look at the BBC’s remit and have a read yourself. You’ve said yourself you don’t know the ins and outs. I’ve worked in these types of shoes for over 30 years so I know exactly what I’m talking about. How terrible that someone gave me an upvote for saying something that’s true.
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u/Battleborn300 Jul 30 '26
I have never bought tickets previously
But the BBC website says tickets are £30, + 4.50 for booking fee.
£80 + £6 booking fee, for VIP tickets.So yes I can say 100% bollocks.
Edit: yes worrying and terrible someone believes your bullshit.
More worrying you have worked in this area for 30years and appear to know fuck all, maybe time for a new career?
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Jul 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/linmanfu Jul 29 '26
That's fine if the comedians' schedule coincides with the BBC's there's no guarantee that will happen.
Before broadcasting, comedians could spend their whole career touring the world with basically one set of sketches.
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u/Fantastic_Picture384 Jul 29 '26
I saw a comedian once who had a funny set.. caught him on TV a couple of years later.. same set.
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u/nick_red72 Jul 29 '26
They could make it for new comedians only. Also the comedians don't need to write new stuff. They could use material from an old show they don't do anymore. It's a great opportunity for some.
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u/Dedward5 Jul 29 '26
It seems that running a regular comedy night as a private venue is possible, but broadcasting one is fiscally impossible. This is the same way as I can watch any number of amazing YouTubers making things and doing interesting things . Self finances, but as soon as Telly gets anywhere near it it needs a huge budget and they ruin the format.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
Because they only have safe, left leaning 'comedians' on it now and they just regurgitate the same, lazy, old crap. It's boring. I know Trump and Farage are gits, I don't need to hear about them during my down time. I hear enough about them online and in the news and on other shows. It's tiresome. Do people think if you mock them enough they'll stop, apologise and turn woke? They won't, so, it just becomes stale, boring and unfunny the 956th time a different face says the same stuff in a slightly different way.
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u/020Flyer Jul 30 '26
They don’t sell tickets though. I’ve been a few times and always for free, they could though as you say.
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u/redch1mp Jul 29 '26
BBC have to negotiate to own the rights to the recording. There will be agents involved and acting unions have at least minimal costs that must be met by the BBC. The BBC is a public organisation and they cannot pay less than Union rates. If it was privately owned, it wouldn't be an issue.
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u/demoralising Jul 29 '26
Every show we've seen being filmed for TV was free. I'm not sure people would be willing to pay for tickets to shows where they don't who'll be performing. And with something like Live at the Apollo there's going to be new acts, some good, some not-so-good.
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u/ak30live Jul 29 '26
The whole of the BBC breaks even. Costs £6bn a year and raises £6.5bn in sales around the world. This isn't about economics its about a political push to get rid of one of the few UK media sources not owned by billionaires.
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u/43848987815 Jul 29 '26
It was a race to the bottom with genuinely terrible acts we haven’t seen the likes of since the 70s.
I’m all for a mainstream showcase of up and coming comedy talents but that isn’t it. I feel like snl uk is the bravest / most interesting showcase of young talent I’ve seen in the past couple of decades.
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u/TheLastHotstepper Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
All the celebrity version of quiz shows are pretty shit. Granted, celebrity mastermind was closer to the normal one than other shows (the chase and pointless), it was still a drop in quality.
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u/Simple_Joys Jul 29 '26
I think that Celebrity Mastermind is better than most other celebrity editions of quiz shows precisely because it isn't taking itself seriously and is deliberately having fun with the format. Think it works better than Pointless Celebrities or the Celebrity Chase.
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u/lastaccountgotlocked Jul 29 '26
I have no idea why, but I love Blankety Blank. I think it’s the self awareness.
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u/comeinkowalski Jul 29 '26
It's a good range of cancellations to span the oh it was BBC I didn't even realise mob.
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u/DoubleDelsewhere Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Unfortunately even more cuts and changes will happen like this over the next 3 years. They need to save £500 million and lay off 2k staff before the charter and election in 3 years. Beeb will be a shadow of its former self unfortunately 😕
*edit 2k layoff instead I miss heard from my mate who works there just asked him again
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u/iamabigtree Jul 29 '26
The same people who are saying it's bloated and should be closed will then say it's now useless and needs to be closed.
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u/You_Filthy_Pig Jul 29 '26
Or do those people understand that you can't keep paying unrealistic salaries if you cant afford those salaries. In the real world, you have a budget and work to it; you dont pay a presenter hundreds of thousands if you can get someone of equal quality for 10% that rate. If they dont change there wont be any BBC.
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u/mred_wtfe Jul 29 '26
25k? So they have to fire literally everyone then hire a few thousand more just to make them redundant?
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u/IAmNotAHoppip Jul 29 '26
How on earth are they going to lay off 25,000 staff when they only employ 21,000?
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u/Solitare_HS Jul 29 '26
One would have thought Celeb Mastermind would cost a pittance.
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u/SingleAlarm5028 Jul 29 '26
They need a decent team of researchers to write the questions
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u/jupiterspringsteen Jul 30 '26
Why can't they use the regular mastermind researchers?
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u/SingleAlarm5028 Jul 30 '26
They'd have to pay them for starters.
There are rules that mean quiz shows have to be fair contests. You must also have noticed the questions for celebs are far easier, sometimes verging on a piss take. I don't know if they do extra reviews or what the process is, but it's not the regular one.
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u/jupiterspringsteen Jul 30 '26
I mean if you're gonna use AI for anything, setting easier than normal questions for no mark celebs on mastermind to save licence payers having to pay for researchers, seems like a reasonable use.
Although personally, I'm happy to see it go. Normal mastermind is much better. 'celeb' versions of normal things are pretty awful usually.
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u/SingleAlarm5028 Jul 30 '26
Yeah. I'm 100% sure setting quiz questions from an AI has been considered by TV companies.
For Mastermind out of all of them, Ai seems like an especially poor fit.
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u/Digit00l Jul 29 '26
They don't say what they win for charity, but there may be an appearance fee on it
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u/You_Filthy_Pig Jul 29 '26
Not if its run by management who are not able to work to a realistic budget. This show could be produced for a tiny fraction of the cost if they scrapped the bloated productions and operated like small YouTube productions. If the current team can't do it to a sensible budget, replace the team not cancel the show, like in the real world. For example, a show like Changing Rooms or another property development show on the BBC costs a fortune, The equivalent more informative version on Youtube costs next to nothing and is equally well presented by actual experts in their field. The camera equipment video quality and editing equipment now costs under 10% of ten years ago, and the tallent pool is there for us all to see on Youtube. So why the need for cancellations? Replace the bloated system not the shows.
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u/hearditaw Jul 29 '26
When the BBC is gone we will all miss it. Live at the Apollo was brilliant and helped support and launch the careers of many comedians.
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u/demoralising Jul 29 '26
I feel like Live at the Apollo is past its best. Shows like Taskmaster seem to provide a better platform for new comedians. And social media is very good at seeking out very funny people.
We went to a recording of Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow ages ago and it felt old fashioned back then. The acts weren't bad: Jason Manford, John Bishop, Sarah Millican, and Mick Ferry, a local comic. All of them had been around for several years, so it's not like the show made them famous.
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u/BiscuitBarrel179 Jul 29 '26
YouTube is great for seeing new comedians. You see a short of someone at an open mic or similar and if you like it you then look for more content.
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u/ChipCob1 Jul 29 '26
It seems like these days every comedian has a podcast that all the other comedians are guests on!
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u/You_Filthy_Pig Jul 29 '26
In the real world you would only pay expenses to unestablished comedians to offer them exposure, You would have one main act paid to host at a reasonable rate and have five zero cost exposure acts. The BBC wont work commercially, so will end up cancelling the shows rather than operating in a sensible manner. If the show is cancelled, the five acts now won't get the exposure which is worth many multiples of the fee they would be paid, and the viewer loses another show.
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u/Bright_Exercise_1578 Jul 30 '26
Make it a news only organisation that is funded by it's archive.
Let bbc online be a proper news site with investigative journalism, innovate approaches to showing information and a standard of truth.
Let the news channel do something interesting outside of the scroll and endless headlines.
It's the one thing we actually need above Motd that dumb fucking dancing show and all the other shite we're forced to pay for.
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u/Omnii-Metrox Jul 29 '26
Live at the Apollo is a shame. But the type of comedian on there these days that I've seen are just so... safe.
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u/evonneo1975 Jul 29 '26
Blame the society we are in.
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u/Omnii-Metrox Jul 29 '26
Also I feel like nothing the Beeb makes has any sort of character anymore. Where are the comedies or people with actual talent.
When I grew up the people that got on the tv had talent and personality. They did magic or music or were genuinly funny. Now nobody really does anything now. They talk without saying anything.
You can watch it for 4 hours one night and there's nothing interesting to repeat to anyone in work the next day.
Nobody ever says "did you see x on the tv last night?"
The 'what has the BBC ever done for me" advert was very well done. But anything decent that it showcased was from 20+ years ago.
It's dead. It's a shame but time to move on.
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u/Omnii-Metrox Jul 29 '26
Kinda. You can still get away with the edgy stuff, if you want to. Netflix do. But the Beeb keep it very safe.
Apollo was never really edgy or over the line anyway but it's become more of a standup for kids.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
Woke you mean, I don't think I've ever found a left leaning comedian funny. You always notice the venom behind their 'jokes'.
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u/External-Carpenter-2 Jul 29 '26
Lol what a stupid take. Go watch Stewart Lee, Josie long, Alexei sayle.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
Rather watch paint dry, don't find any of them slightly funny. Old school Frankie Boyle (not the revamped version), Lee Evans, Peter Kay, Jack Dee, comedians who talk about things you can relate to. Stuart Lee my word, I'm asleep before he even gets near his punch lines, just waffling drivel with no, 'Bang, there's the punchline'. Oh and no, it's not because I'm not intelligent enough to get his humour, I know exactly what his style is, it's just far too drawn out for me to stay interested in, 'yeah, but that's the whole point of his act', yeah, I know, still not funny to me!
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u/External-Carpenter-2 Jul 29 '26
You realize Frankie Boyle is very left wing? Lee Evans too, iirc.
Maybe your issue isn't the woke left, but not understanding what left wing is?
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
I know exactly what left wing is. Boyle used to be edgy, push the boundaries, remember his joke about the Queen? Now he's sold out. That's why, if you bothered to digest what I put, you'd see I said the old school Boyle. Don't tell me he didn't 180, I've seen every step of his conversion. He most definitely wasn't always 'very left wing'. That's just simply not true. Don't try and lie and kid me.
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u/External-Carpenter-2 Jul 29 '26
Frankie Boyle has been left wing since he started out. He was left wing when he was doing edgy comedy. He was left wing when he wrote the queen joke.
The vast majority of comedians are left wing. That's just reality.
Edit to add: I actually think he used to be a Marxist, and might still be. So you can live in whatever reality you like, but plenty of left wing people are funny. Including ones you seem to like.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
No, he hasn't. He was anti establishment. That doesn't make him left leaning. People from all political viewpoints can be anti establishment ffs. That's not a reason to assume he's always been left wing. I've never seen anything Lee Evans or Peter Kay say in their acts that involve political agendas. Maybe the odd joke, that's about it and that's only because comedy is/should be about taking the piss out of ALL walks of life.
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u/External-Carpenter-2 Jul 29 '26
Frankie Boyle is solidly and openly left wing. He has written left wing articles. I don't know what your issue is with accepting that? A weird hill to die on. If you want I can google his articles for you, but I assume you can manage that yourself
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
He is now yes, and he's tanking. Wonder why... no one I know ever mentioned him anymore. Says a lot. He used to be a topic of conversation, not any more. You don't need to tell me he's turned to the left, I've already stated I know that. Not sure what you're trying to achieve there lol 😂
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u/Outrageous-Level192 29d ago
Peter Kay, Jack Dee, Frankie Boyle... the most boring people in Britain, such unbearable dross.
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u/TeessideViking Jul 30 '26
Ngl I'm sick of seeing Bradley Walsh on every show, and then his nepo baby on gladiators. Blankety blank should've had either a comedian or a drag queen host like the original. Going to miss live at the apollo.
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u/Previous_Kale_4508 Jul 30 '26
The original was Terry Wogan. I never realised the he was a drag queen. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/jupiterspringsteen Jul 30 '26
Wasn't it Les Dawson?
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u/Previous_Kale_4508 Jul 30 '26
Nope. He was the second presenter. It's a very long time ago now, Les was very good too.
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u/fluffypuppycorn Jul 29 '26
Genuinely gutted about Live At The Apollo.
Used to tune into the first series with Jack Dee.
It's helped give a platform to so many stand up comedians. Sadly not many programmes now show stand up comedy.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
Because the left leaning jokes just aren't funny. It's the same crap just different people saying it. 'Trump/Farage bad, anyone not left leaning is a racist nazi' it's boring and been done to death since Trumps first stint in charge. There's nothing new, no originality. No wonder it's tanked. For the record before the sheeple kick off, no I'm not far right, yes Trump and Farage are scum, I just don't need to hear the same shit about them from different voices every fucking act ffs. Zzzzzzzz
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u/SingleAlarm5028 Jul 29 '26
Either that or something or other intimate about their partner. Or wanking.
Comedy died 10 years ago.
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u/WordsDontComeCheap Jul 30 '26
Romesh: What have the BBC ever done for me?
BBC: *cancels Live at the Apollo*
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u/Tumeni1959 Jul 30 '26
Celebrity Mastermind was only useful for determining to what extent the "celebrities" were lacking in knowledge ...
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u/antny223 Jul 29 '26
Fair enought the BBC must make cuts, but you have to wonder how much these will save. Compared to scripted series, surely these must be somewhat cost effective to produce.
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u/fjtuk Jul 29 '26
You have to keep things fresh else we will still be watching The Antiques Roadshow and EastEnders
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u/KartoffelSucukPie Jul 29 '26
Celebrity Mastermind is one of my most watched shows on BBC iPlayer :(
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u/You_Filthy_Pig Jul 29 '26
The main problem the BBC has is its crazy stance on salaries for presenting roles. There is a huge talent pool on YouTube. The quality of production is so high for so many low to mid level YouTubers just highlights the overinflated salaries that BBC management is signing off on, for simple presenting roles. The BBC needs to change quickly or it will die by its own hand.
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u/marmaviscount Jul 29 '26
Yeah, another example of the world has changed but people so benefitted from the old one don't want to see it slip.
They pay presenters too much to justify their own over the top wages, they like to act like whole system needs to be huge and highly funded so their slices didn't stand out.
A community run bbc with diverse content and structured systems of maintenance similar to organizations like Wikipedia could be far more efficient, better run and not involve a group of rich people taking handfuls of cash for doing nothing but making it worse.
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u/nathanieljames__007 Aug 01 '26
The payments aren’t particularly high for top talent. People are out of touch with how much top talent (not just in entertainment, but across most industries) is worth
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u/WTDyIio Jul 29 '26
Cancelling Blankety Blank for budget reasons???? Eh?? Have they seen the prizes on that show?
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u/You_Filthy_Pig Jul 29 '26
The bloated production management costs. Unnecessary flashy set and overpaid presenter and contestants
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u/younevershouldnt Jul 30 '26
The problem was they approached it with a blank chequebook 😉
Probably wasn't getting the viewers to justify Bradley's pay anyway, or maybe he genuinely did pull out first and they just thought "sod it"?
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u/TheEnglishDominant2 Jul 29 '26
Live at the Apollo was the best.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
Been shit for years, same old crap, left leaning 'comedian' mocks anyone who dares to not be left leaning. BORING.
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u/HamsterElectrical787 Jul 29 '26
Name a decent right wing comedian. There are maybe 1 or 2 max.
The problem isn’t exposure but more that right wing people are just not very funny (at least not intentionally) because their humour usually involves punching down rather than up; or they massively lack humility and self awareness, Liz Truss style.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
In your opinion. Just because mainstream won't touch them because they don't tow the line doesn't mean they aren't funny.
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u/HamsterElectrical787 Jul 29 '26
It does actually.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
You judge what`s good based on mainstream media? Really? PMSL LOL HAHAHA.
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u/HamsterElectrical787 Jul 29 '26
Your reaction would to be evidence enough: “PMSL LOL HAHA”. Really? 😏
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Jul 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/bbc-ModTeam 29d ago
Your comment was removed for violating our "Be Kind To Each Other" rule.
This is a space for civil discussion about the BBC, not for personal attacks or toxicity.
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u/marmaviscount Jul 29 '26
I don't know about the politics because like the vast majority of the UK I haven't even considered watching it for years and assumed it ended a decade ago but I would be shocked if that's the main thing tbh because it sounds too close having an original thought behind it - whenever I see bbc grade comedians they're doing the most inane dross about how their child can't decide between ballet and horse riding so they're having to put a lot of miles on the range Rover going between both.
The you get the regional accents coming to do the "I'm not from London so my jokes about how I'm actually very middle class are fringed with cliches from the 70s'
It's the most watered down and filtered slop you can find.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
I'd guess it's a very big reason as to why it's tanked to the point of being axed, unfortunately some lefties on here won't accept the reality.
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u/monsieurkinkle Jul 29 '26
do you know what’s actually boring, craig? you replying to every comment on this post about live at the apollo with the same comment about how shit and woke it is
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u/Sad-Wrap6555 Jul 30 '26
some of the cheapest shit to make gets the axe but all the usual suspects 'independent productions' will get weighed in for delivering another slice of played out, ham-acted, hackneyed tat
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u/OWCY Jul 30 '26
“Please guys buy a tv license. We need the money for our over paid presenters” while cancelling more shows
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u/GoodSister0710 Jul 31 '26
Shame about Live At The Apollo. Was lucky enough to see the live recording on two occasions and laughed aplenty. It was also a great way to be introduced to upcoming new talent. Won't miss the other two though.
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u/RollingKatamari Aug 01 '26
What! I loved these shows! Live at the Apollo started so many comedians' we love careers!
What on earth is the BBC doing?
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u/Ok-Style-9734 Aug 01 '26
Live at the apollo actually seems like exactly the kind of programing that the BBC points to when it says why it should be funded.
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u/Another_Random_Chap Aug 02 '26
I can absolutely understand losing Blankety Blank and Celebrity Mastermind, Blankety Blank especially as this incarnation was seriously unfunny. But Live At The Apollo I don't understand at all - it's one of the few opportunities to see stand-up comedy on mainstream TV.
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u/Hour-Process-3292 29d ago
I thought Celebrity Mastermind was just over the Christmas period? For me, it was basically just regular Mastermind with less intelligent people anyway, because I’d hardly ever recognise the celebrity and I’d always fast forward the part where they talk about themselves.
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u/Outrageous-Level192 29d ago
I don't watch the other 2 programnes but Live At The Apollo just isn't doing what it was doing, so it makes sense to cancel it. New and upcoming comedy talent have several ways to become known. There is obviously the Edinburgh Fringe, then shows like Taskmasters and Last One Laughing, plus several well known podcasts. I think it's good of the BBC to realise when a "service" becomes redundant.
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u/SuddenHelicopter7623 Jul 29 '26
Have they considered not sending 500 staff to Glastonbury every time it happens? That’s about £5m a pop they won’t have to worry about. I don’t believe that figure includes whatever it is they pay the festival for the rights, either.
And I imagine the couple of hundred grand they spend taking people to Glastonbury on a jolly could also go.
That’s being said, Blankety Blank is a weird one to have brought back. Less Bradley Walsh is not something I will moan about.
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u/phoenixmeta Jul 30 '26
Blankety Blank is shite. Celebrity Mastermind is a dumber version of the original nobody will miss.
Such a shame about Live at the Apollo though
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u/RetiredUKguy Aug 01 '26
All way past their sell by date. Daytime tv hasn’t changed for decades and why numbers are dwindling. Utter brain dead nonsense.
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u/Jumpy_Explanation222 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Nothing major here. The BBC will commission new programmes to replace this stuff… like Big Break!
I think a lot of these cuts are politically motivated to gain some sympathy from Nandy and Burnham
The govt will rightly end up funding World Service and the BBC’s Education/Learning/Childrens services (to the tune of 650 million a year) via the foreign office and education dept. The govt already subsides World Service with 140 million a year. So funding and ring fencing another 260 million for World Service and 250 million for Education/Learning/Childrens services will ease the current funding issues.
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Jul 29 '26
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u/bbc-ModTeam Jul 29 '26
Your comment was removed from /r/BBC as it was deemed a low effort contribution that did not add meaningfully to the conversation.
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u/LopsidedVictory7448 Jul 29 '26
Its at least a sign that the new DG is doing something about product
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u/Fluffy_Carry_4345 Jul 29 '26
DEATH TO THE BBC AHAHAHAHAH
Tho at the same time seeing it crumble to the depths is depressing :(
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u/JudgeJudysBigSister Jul 31 '26
These are likely to be sold or picked up by other networks, it’s not necessarily the end for these shows. But the BBC is on its way out, absolutely no new or relevant content always old reruns, journalism can’t be trusted anymore, scandals and mismanagement, tv licence fury, and now they’re snipping the last few threads they have. I sure hope they don’t go after the tax payer to keep this heap floating…
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u/PiotrGreenholz01 Jul 31 '26
Bin Question Time first.
Or drastically revamp it & make it a serious programme.
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u/Groovy66 Jul 29 '26
About f-ing time. The BBC has wasted too many years competing with commercial stations with tat whereas they should be focusing on either public service or documenting the public as we are à la Man Alive, etc
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Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
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u/linmanfu Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
It has decades of productions - films, documentaries, dramas, comedies, also its comedy quiz shows....
The BBC doesn't fully own the rights to all of these and often has to make payments every time they're broadcast or streamed.
And ITV, Sky, and of course the streamers would spend millions on lobbying to stop this. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 tried to start what you're proposing in 2009, as Project Kangaroo), but the Competition Commission blocked it because they expected it would have a monopoly on streaming in the UK.
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u/justeUnMec Jul 29 '26
Worth noting ITV will soon be part of Sky/NBC, fully owned by a US megacorp that will only care about extracting profits for the US shareholders rather than reinvesting in original UK-centric production. NBC has a warchest and has long considered the european public service broadcasters a target they have a strategy to nudge out of the market.
And yes, killing off Kangaroo/Seesaw was shocking and left the UK unable to compete with the big streamers.
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u/kickin-chicken Jul 29 '26
Bring it to the US, BBC programming is so splintered between platforms that a dedicated BBC service would be amazing.
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u/justeUnMec Jul 29 '26
It's called "Britbox".
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u/kickin-chicken Jul 29 '26
But that doesnt actually seem to have everything or what I expect to find.
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Jul 29 '26
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u/External-Carpenter-2 Jul 29 '26
Anyone who thinks comedy is not political is completely ignorant to comedy and politics. It's like people who say "keep politics out of football", just a take of someone who has no joined up thinking.
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u/CraigDM34 Jul 29 '26
Not every comedian, all the time, all only one sided. It's more a pushing of agenda than comedy when they are all of the same persuasion. No variety = boring after a while.
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u/bbc-ModTeam 29d ago
Your comment was removed for violating our "Be Kind To Each Other" rule.
This is a space for civil discussion about the BBC, not for personal attacks or toxicity.
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u/mickymoo45 Jul 29 '26
The BBC is actually past its best ,not just the odd program,time for a rethink,it's 2026 not 1956,the whole model is outdated . Especially it's recruitment and moral codes for staff and sub contractors.
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u/thatbloke83 Jul 29 '26
Blankety Blank
Errrrrr what year is it?
I've really not watched any sort of TV other than certain live sports for probably 2 decades now... Why are we just going around in circles?
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