Beloved Series ‘Survivor’ Canceled Despite Major BBC Investment

Survivor will not survive another season on the U.K. airwaves. A report from The Daily Mail reveals that BBC has canceled Survivor despite a massive 2023 investment to revive the franchise. The Sun reports that £30 million was spent on Season 3, which aired on BBC One between October and December 2023.

Season 3 served as a revamp for the franchise, which first originated from the Swedish series Robinson. ITV initially tried to bring the show to U.K. audiences in 2001 but axed it after two seasons. Meanwhile, the U.S. version of Survivor has been a massive success for CBS, with the show about to air its 47th season. In light of that sustained success, BBC decided to dust off the format for a fresh take in 2023, but the response from U.K. viewers was lackluster.

“It was clear at the time it went out the show was not a hit,” The Daily Mail’s source said. “They threw everything at it, but although a lot had been changed, and many years had gone by since it was last on, it still did not work. It got just the same response as it did back in 2001 and 2002 on ITV–which is that audiences thought it was boring. It’s not going into production this year.”

The cancellation comes after months of speculation due to Survivor’s low ratings. Betting sites had the show tipped to be canceled since November, GBN reports. BBC halted Season 4 casting applications back in February, per The Sun.

Over in the U.S., Survivor, hosted by Jeff Probst, is going strong. Season 47 premieres on Sept. 18, Season 48 is already filming, and Season 49 is in the casting phase. Probst has already hyped up a prospective 50th season, as well.

Robinson and Australian Survivor are still going, with new seasons airing in 2024. The U.K. Survivor joins other failed Robinson off-shoots Survivor NZ and Survivor South Africa.