ITV is reportedly set to axe The Chase Around the World after just one series, following a disappointing response to the prime-time spin-off.
Insiders are said to have been left embarrassed by the performance of the big-budget programme, which failed to attract the ratings and enthusiastic reaction the broadcaster had hoped for.
The series saw Bradley Walsh and the familiar Chasers leave the studio for a global quiz adventure, with pairs of contestants travelling between locations while solving puzzles and answering questions in a bid to win £100,000.
ITV had promoted the show as a major new extension of one of its best-known formats. It was the first commission from Bright Entertainment, the ITV Studios label launched by Lily Wilson, and was made as a six-part series.
However, viewers have criticised the programme on social media, with some describing it as “boring” and “rubbish”. The reaction is understood to have fuelled doubts over whether the format can justify the cost of returning to prime time.
ITV has not publicly confirmed that The Chase Around the World has been cancelled, and the broadcaster has yet to announce plans for a second series.
The decision would affect only the spin-off rather than the original The Chase, which continues to air on ITV with Bradley Walsh as host and remains one of the channel’s established quiz-show brands.
