Channel 4 has axed The £100k Drop less than two years after the format moved to daytime, it’s been revealed.
The gameshow, hosted by Davina McCall, began life as The Million Pound Drop at the start of the decade.
Last year, after a spell off-air, C4 bosses resurrected the show, but moved it from primetime to 4pm in the afternoon.
Contestants continued to gamble bundles of real cash on the answers to multiple choice questions, with money placed on wrong answers tumbling through trapdoors.
However, the change in scheduling saw the top prize slashed to £100,000, a tenth of the original amount.
While it was still a huge prize for daytime telly, rivalling amounts offered by The Chase, it seems viewers weren’t impressed with the reduction.
According to The Sun, The £100k Drop has now been dropped itself by C4 after three series.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: “There are no plans for The £100k Drop to return to Channel 4.
“We’d like to thank Davina and all of the team behind the show for the numerous nail-biting moments.”
The 120-episode run featured the show’s most successful contestants to date, David and Jonathan.
Having only hedged their bets on one question, the best pals took home a £75,000 prize.
This made them the Drop’s biggest winners ever by share, bagging three quarters of the jackpot.
Other players weren’t so lucky, with one superfan suffering embarrassment when they crashed out on the first question.
The £100k Drop had faced tough competition from the ever-popular Tipping Point, which airs in the same timeslot on ITV.
The Sun’s insider commented: “With players handling £1million in real cash and the trapdoor twist, Million Pound Drop was one of the most exciting shows around.
“But when ratings fell, Channel 4 bosses took a gamble of their own.
“Unfortunately, lower stakes meant low interest and now they’ve decided to cash out of the Drop for good.”
Fans of Davina needn’t worry too much, as she’s about to return to our screens in a brand new role.
The presenter is one of four panellists on ITV’s new guessing game The Masked Singer, which starts this Saturday.
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