Jojo
24-11-2006, 16:02
ITV has pulled the plug on ailing celebrity reality show Love Island.
The reality show returned this year with the likes of Bianca Gascoigne and Calum Best and hosts Fearne Cotton and Patrick Kielty.
Celebrity was dropped from the title of the second series and the format was altered.
But the show, which was brought back following a glitzy ITV launch, attracted poor viewing figures.
The grand finale was watched by 4.4 million viewers - down 1.5 million on last year when Jayne Middlemiss and Fran Cosgrave won the title.
In the same month, more than 8 million people tuned in to see Tourette's sufferer Pete Bennett win Big Brother.
At ITV1's season launch, the broadcaster's director of television Simon Shaps announced that Love Island had been axed.
He revealed that the broadcaster did not know why the second series had not taken off with viewers, but that it had carried out research to find out.
Mr Shaps said: "I thought the show was terrifically made and terrifically produced. But I just don't think the public appetite, as evidenced by the second year numbers, was strong enough for us to bring it back for a third year."
Other ITV casualties have included It's Now or Never, Celebrity Wrestling, Fat Families, and The Real Good Life.
The reality show returned this year with the likes of Bianca Gascoigne and Calum Best and hosts Fearne Cotton and Patrick Kielty.
Celebrity was dropped from the title of the second series and the format was altered.
But the show, which was brought back following a glitzy ITV launch, attracted poor viewing figures.
The grand finale was watched by 4.4 million viewers - down 1.5 million on last year when Jayne Middlemiss and Fran Cosgrave won the title.
In the same month, more than 8 million people tuned in to see Tourette's sufferer Pete Bennett win Big Brother.
At ITV1's season launch, the broadcaster's director of television Simon Shaps announced that Love Island had been axed.
He revealed that the broadcaster did not know why the second series had not taken off with viewers, but that it had carried out research to find out.
Mr Shaps said: "I thought the show was terrifically made and terrifically produced. But I just don't think the public appetite, as evidenced by the second year numbers, was strong enough for us to bring it back for a third year."
Other ITV casualties have included It's Now or Never, Celebrity Wrestling, Fat Families, and The Real Good Life.