'The Generation Game' reboot is having to use canned laughter after hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins failed to recapture Sir Bruce Forsyth's spark.
Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc
The iconic gameshow is poised to return to TV screens in April, with Mel and Sue fronting the revamped programme - but it's been claimed that the makers are having to resort to fake laughter in order to ignite enthusiasm for the show.
A source explained to The Sun newspaper: "It was always going to be a challenge for Mel and Sue to have people chuckling the way Bruce did.
"The BBC has used canned laughter after listening back to the live audience and agreeing it needed a bit of extra buzz."
Meanwhile, a BBC spokeswoman said: "The show was filmed in front of a live studio audience and the overwhelming majority of the laughter was from the recording."
Last month, it was revealed that the revamped programme had been cut from a four-episode series to just two, with the BBC harbouring concerns about the quality of the show.
Each episode of 'The Generation Game' is reported to cost in the region of £400,000 and there are said to be growing fears at the broadcaster that it could soon become another post-'Bake Off' flop for the veteran presenting duo.
In February, Jim Davidson - who fronted the show in the 90s - also questioned whether Mel and Sue were the right fit for the iconic programme.
He said: "They're not right, they won't know how to ad-lib. They're not there to teach them how to bake a f**king cake."
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