ITV drop game show Cannonball after just the one series

ITV game show Cannonball has been axed after just the one series.

ITV had brought the madcap water-based gameshow back to our screens with ‘Cannonball’, its own version of Total Wipeout.

Like Total Wipeout – an obstacle course known for its trademark Big Red Balls – Cannonball saw its players splashing in to pools of water in a series of crazy challenges.

They had to compete against each other on massive water slides, trying to hit moving targets and achieve the highest and longest jumps.

Filming took place at a custom-built water park in Malta.

The show aired a total of 10 episodes: 8 regular instalments, a Christmas special and a highlights show.

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, Frankie Bridge, Radzi Chinyanganya, Ryan Hand and Maya Jama hosted the programme, which aired in 2017.

But it won’t be back in 2018.

The Sun reports it’s been ‘axed’, although an ITV spokesperson described the show as being “on hold”.

A source said: “It was an ambitious one from ITV and, while really good fun, didn’t quite prove a hit with viewers. When you factor in the costs of all the contestants’ flights to and from Malta, hotels, the games — as well as paying the presenters — it all added up.

“It was worth a punt but didn’t quite work.”

A spokesperson for the channel told the tabloid: “The show looked great and was ambitious in scale but just didn’t quite resonate with our audience so we’ve put it on hold. We thank everyone involved.”