Can't Touch This is axed by BBC

21 March 2017

'Can't Touch This' has been axed after just one series on screen.

Zoe Ball

The weekend game show, which is presented by Zoe Ball and Ashley Banjo, has become the latest in a long line of programmes to be given the chop by the BBC after it failed to draw in enough viewers over the the course of the past 10 episodes.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "The BBC thought the show's big names, as well as family favourite Ashley would draw in a really good audience. But for a Saturday night show it performed very poorly. The first episode got around three million viewers but it went south of that very quickly. Audiences just didn't connect with it. It just goes to show that launching a game show format is getting harder and harder."

'Can't Touch This', which was narrated by Sue Perkins, was described as a "mousetrap for humans" as contestants battled it out on an assault course for prizes.

The show was produced by Stellify Media and was previously referred to as a cross between 'Ninja Warrior' and a children's soft play area as contestants regularly plummeted into foam mats rather than water - like the ITV show based on 'Sasuke'.

The decision to drop 'Can't Touch This' comes just days after it was announced 'Blind Date' - also produced by Stellify Media - is set for a reboot on Channel 5 this year.

The classic game show was fronted by the late Cilla Black for almost two decades from 1985 until 2003 and, although a revival has been in the pipeline for some time, she tragically passed away in 2015 following a fatal fall at her Spanish home.

Bosses are keen to keep some of the "traditional" elements of the previous run but have decided to give it an updated twist to appeal to a "new generation of viewers".

It's expected to run on Friday nights - rather than its traditional Saturday night slot - and will consist of six to eight episodes per series for the first few installments.

The programme sees three singletons grilled by a member of the opposite sex in order to find the perfect match without being able to see them. The new couple then pick an envelope with their holiday destination - abroad or in the UK - inside and will spend the next week trying to get to know one another.