The fate of Simon Cowellâs Saturday night game show Red or Black? is hanging in the balance after an ITV top dog said that âchangesâ? would have to be made if it were to stay on the channel.
Peter Fincham, ITV’s director of television, admitted he had not decided whether to recommission the show in an interview with Jonathan Ross yesterday.
The news will have devastated fans of Ant, Dec, red and black alike.
The chatshow host quizzed Fincham about his plan for the, frankly rather odd, gameshow which was met with a mixed reception from audeinces when it aired over seven nights in September.
He said: “I haven’t made that decision yet. It is a big show⦠the sort of thing ITV should be doing on a Saturday night.
â[It’s a show I] want to make some changes to ⦠I’m nearly there, but not quite ready yet.”
The format of Red or Black?, which gave contestants the chance to win £1m by guessing either red or black to the outcome of a series of celebrity-fronted challenges, was criticised by those who felt that audiences would prefer a game which actually involved skill of some kind.
The game of chance attracted an average of 4m viewers when it was aired, which is not great given that Cowell was involved and golden boys Ant and Dec were fronting up the show.
Fincham himself admitted that Red or Black? had enjoyed a “sightly bumpy ride”.
Now, was he referring to the fairly average ratings? Or the fact that a former criminal won £1m on the show? Awkward.
