A BAFTA-nominated TV show is the latest to join the list of Channel 4 programmes to be axed as the broadcaster struggles with cost-saving cuts.
Despite initial rumours of a second series being in the works and even talks of lining up Nigel Farage for the programme, Banged Up will not be returning to TV screens.
Season one of the four-part documentary series, which first aired in October 2023, followed a group of male celebrities as they swapped their normal lives for a stint at the decommissioned Shrewsbury Prison.
The participants were locked up for eight days, during which they were kept in cells, given jobs and subjected to body searches. They were attended to by real former prison guards and real ex-criminals.
Among the star-studded line-up who took part in season one were EastEnders actor Sid Owen, Gogglebox star Marcus Luther and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens.
A BAFTA-nominated TV show is the latest to join the list of Channel 4 programmes to be axed as the broadcaster struggles with cost-saving cuts
Despite initial rumours of a second series being in the works and even talks of lining up Nigel Farage for the programme, Banged Up will not be returning to TV screens
Other celebrities who took part were ex-MP Neil Parish, comedian and actor Tom Rosenthal and former Strictly Come Dancing star HRVY.
The participants were able to question their cellmates about their experience of being incarcerated and examine the impact their jail time has had on them.
The experiment was run by a former prison governor with 20 years’ experience at some of the UK’s most notorious prisons and all participants lived according to current UK prison rules.
Banged Up was so impactful that it even got nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Reality, losing out to Netflix’s Squid Game.
On Wednesday, an insider told The Sun: ‘Producers were shocked by Channel 4’s decision to axe the show.
‘They were aiming high in trying to get people like Farage on board, and had some good names lined up.
‘Pundits raved about the show and it was loved by viewers, so it seems a strange decision to get rid of it. It must purely be for financial reasons.’
The broadcaster has confirmed it won’t be returning, and described the programme as a ‘one-off social experiment’.
Season one of the four-part documentary series, which first aired in October 2023, followed a group of male celebrities as they swapped their normal lives for a stint behind bars
Among the star-studded line-up who took part in season one were EastEnders actor Sid Owen , Gogglebox star Marcus Luther and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens (pictured above)
Banged Up was so impactful that it even got nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Reality, losing out to Netflix’s Squid Game (MP Johnny Mercer pictured)
A Channel 4 spokesperson added: ‘Banged Up was a unique one-off social experiment that was only commissioned for one series.’
However, even before the unusual documentary’s success, it was reported that the channel was eyeing up a selection of female celebrities for a second series, as well as Farage as a contestant.
At the time before the show aired, an insider told The Sun: ‘Channel 4 are pretty sure that Banged Up will hook viewers when it airs, so they’ve been considering this sequel for some time.
‘And doing a women’s version in a women’s prison and an all-female line-up of prison staff was a no-brainer.
‘Though, of course, they’ll be watching closely to see what the reaction is to the first series.’
However, the project will now never materialise as the programme has been brutally axed as the latest in a string of Channel 4 cuts.
The channel have axed a string of shows this year and revealed back in January their plans to make hundreds of staff redundant.
The broadcaster will also leave their London HQ, the Horseferry Road office, which Channel 4 have been based out of since 1994, and find a new office elsewhere in London.
The channel has been forced to cancel a handful of programmes recently, including SAS: Who Dares Wins and Steph’s Packed Lunch (pictured), as part of efforts to reduce costs
Danny Dyer’s popular show Scared of the Dark has also been axed after just one series despite its huge success
In June, the closure of five channels were announced – The Box music channels 4Music, The Box, Kiss, Magic and Kerrang!
A spokesperson for Channel 4 told The Sun: ‘As we announced earlier this year as part of Channel 4’s digital-first Fast Forward strategy, we will be closing our Box network of channels from 1 July across all platforms – as they are no longer of sufficient scale to deliver meaningful return on investment.
‘Our strategy reflects the generational shift in TV viewing and involves reducing costs – particularly in linear activities – to allow us to invest in digital priorities and stay competitive in a world of global entertainment conglomerates and social media giants.’
The channel has been forced to cancel a handful of programmes recently, including SAS: Who Dares Wins and Steph’s Packed Lunch, as part of efforts to reduce costs.
Danny Dyer’s popular show Scared of the Dark has also been axed after just one series despite its huge success.
The experimental TV show asked a whole host of famous faces to live in complete darkness for a week as they were tasked with various challenges.
Former footballer Paul Gascoigne was crowned the series winner after living eight days in complete darkness as he beat Love Island’s Chloe Burrows, ex boxer Chris Eubank and comedian Chris McCausland in the competition.
Despite raking in more than a million viewers, Channel 4 has decided against it returning for a second series, according to Deadline.
Meanwhile Channel 4’s Hollyoaks will also have fewer episodes airing each week from September.
The soap, which airs on streaming, E4 and YouTube will go down from five episodes per week to three.
The channel said that they were making the change because it is the ‘optimum pattern to keep heartland audiences hooked and attract new ones in a highly saturated content market’ based on Channel 4 data.
Meanwhile Channel 4’s Hollyoaks will also have fewer episodes airing each week from September (Malique Thompson Dwyer and Jennifer Metcalfe pictured on soap in 2021)