The BBC has confirmed that Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo will not be returning for future seasons, as the corporation pushes through further savings across its entertainment output.
In a statement, the BBC said it was "incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows" and thanked everyone who worked on them, before adding: "Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the entertainment genre."
While the main Mastermind series will continue, with Clive Myrie remaining as host, the celebrity spin-off will end after its next run, which has already been recorded.
Celebrity Mastermind first launched in 2002 and has previously been fronted by Magnus Magnusson and John Humphrys, and follows the original quiz format.
Live at the Apollo, which has been running since 2004, also has one further season already filmed but will not return after that airs. The stand-up showcase has helped launch the careers of Michael McIntyre, Kevin Bridges, Micky Flanagan and Sarah Millican, to name a few.
The BBC said it would "shortly be announcing digital plans focused on stand-up and emerging comedy talent" to continue its support for the comedy scene.
Blankety Blank, hosted since 2020 by Bradley Walsh, will also not continue. The panel game first launched in 1979 with Terry Wogan and later Les Dawson, and has been revived several times over the years, including a fondly remembered 1990s run fronted by Paul O'Grady's alter-ego Lily Savage.
The cancellation follows Walsh's own comments to Radio Times earlier this week he would be stepping away from the series because of scheduling conflicts.
He called it "one of my favourite shows" but said he "physically does not have the time" to film another series, citing his Gladiators commitments, a Prat Pack tour and undisclosed drama projects. "It's the most fun you can have in the studio, and I just cannot at the moment work on it," he said.
Viewing figures for all three programmes have fallen in recent years, according to BBC News. Celebrity Mastermind has dropped from an average of 4 million viewers in 2017 to 1.7m for its most recent series, while Blankety Blank has slid from 5.5m in 2021 to 2.3m. Live at the Apollo has fallen from around 1.3m in 2018 to roughly 660,000, figures that include catch-up viewing on iPlayer.
The BBC said the decisions form part of the first phase of its previously announced plans to make £500 million of savings over the next three years, with BBC content targeting a minimum of £100m in recurring annual savings and a reduction of around 100 to 150 hours of originated TV programmes across genres by the end of 2027/28. Further savings across the content division will be announced in the coming months.
The corporation insisted it would "still continue to commission ambitious entertainment shows and invest in distinctive UK content from a wide range of independent production companies of all sizes", while prioritising "digital innovation that can serve fans of these shows and beyond".
Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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