Perdita
26-02-2009, 06:06
BIG budget vampire drama Demons is set to be axed — after its star Philip Glenister quit.
ITV’s Saturday night sci-fi series cost millions to make.
It was launched amid a big fanfare last month and kicked off with more than six million viewers.
But the show soon slumped in the ratings, losing three million viewers over its brief run.
The final nail in the coffin was when Philip, 46, refused to return for another series.
The actor, best known for playing tough-talking DCI Gene Hunt in the top-rated Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, had come under fire from the critics for a dodgy American accent as vampire hunter Rupert Galvin.
Philip had revealed: “Rupert was written as a Texan originally and I thought b*****ks to that — I’m not playing a Texan.
“They said I could play him as English, but I wanted to have the challenge of playing an American.”
A TV source said: “ITV spent millions on Demons — but things have not worked out. Philip made it clear he would not come back. He’s busy filming, with a second series of Ashes to Ashes and has other shows in the pipeline.
“It’s a shame, but it’s a tough time for TV — there is just not the money to spend on big projects and then continue if they’re not immediately a success.”
Earlier this year, ITV axed a £4million adaptation of EM Forster’s A Passage To India to save cash.
:( :(
ITV’s Saturday night sci-fi series cost millions to make.
It was launched amid a big fanfare last month and kicked off with more than six million viewers.
But the show soon slumped in the ratings, losing three million viewers over its brief run.
The final nail in the coffin was when Philip, 46, refused to return for another series.
The actor, best known for playing tough-talking DCI Gene Hunt in the top-rated Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, had come under fire from the critics for a dodgy American accent as vampire hunter Rupert Galvin.
Philip had revealed: “Rupert was written as a Texan originally and I thought b*****ks to that — I’m not playing a Texan.
“They said I could play him as English, but I wanted to have the challenge of playing an American.”
A TV source said: “ITV spent millions on Demons — but things have not worked out. Philip made it clear he would not come back. He’s busy filming, with a second series of Ashes to Ashes and has other shows in the pipeline.
“It’s a shame, but it’s a tough time for TV — there is just not the money to spend on big projects and then continue if they’re not immediately a success.”
Earlier this year, ITV axed a £4million adaptation of EM Forster’s A Passage To India to save cash.
:( :(