BBC cancels Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live at the Apollo

The BBC has cancelled three entertainment shows—Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, and Live at the Apollo—as part of a £500m savings plan over three years. The main Mastermind series continues with host Clive Myrie, but the celebrity spin-off ends after its next filmed series. Live at the Apollo, running since 2004, has one more filmed series left. Blankety Blank, revived in 2020 with Bradley Walsh, is on hold due to Walsh's schedule. Viewing figures have declined: Celebrity Mastermind dropped from 4m (2017) to 1.7m; Blankety Blank from 5.5m (2021) to 2.3m; Live at the Apollo from 1.3m (2018) to 660,000. The BBC cited funding challenges and a pivot to digital, promising digital plans for stand-up comedy. Further savings across content will be announced in coming months, with a target of £100m annual recurring savings and a reduction of 100-150 hours of originated TV by 2027/28.