‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ has been cancelled.
The pop music panel quiz – most recently hosted by comedian Rhod Gilbert – will not be returning after almost 20 years on air, after BBC channel controller Kim Shillinglaw and BBC entertainment controller Mark Linsey decided to axe it.
A BBC spokeswoman confirmed the news, saying: "After 28 series we’ve decided not to bring ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ back to the BBC. This will create space for new entertainment formats in the future. We’d like to thank the team at Talkback, Rhod Gilbert, all the brilliant hosts over the years and of course Noel and Phill for the years of enjoyment they’ve given BBC Two viewers."
‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ first aired in November 1996 and has run for over 260 episodes over 28 series.
Before Rhod took control of proceedings, previous hosts have included Mark Lamarr, who presented the first 17 series, before guest presenters then took over for the 18th run, then Simon Amstell took over hosting duties for four series.
The show featured some unforgettable rock ‘n’ roll moments such as Ordinary Boys frontman Preston storming out the studio halfway through filming, after host Simon mocked his then-wife Chantelle Houghton by reading out extracts from her autobiography.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ frontman Huey Morgan also lost his temper during the ‘next lines round’ when his band’s lyrics were used and ridiculed prompting him to smash up a mug as guest hosts Rizzle Kicks tried to calm him down.
Another memorable incident was when comedian Jack Whitehall quizzed Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell on his intentions for his sister who he had previously dated.
Captains over the course of the show’s run included Noel Fielding, Sean Hughes, Bill Bailey and Phill Jupitus – who featured on nearly every episode of the programme.
Rhod previously admitted he only took on hosting duties because he thought the series still had a lot of life left in it.
When asked what his hopes for the show were when he took the main the job last year, he said: "Well, if I thought I was coming in just to stand on the bow while the bloody thing sank, I wouldn’t be doing it."
Never Mind The Buzzcocks cancelled
