Channel 4 has axed another TV show following a recent spate of cancellations amid spending cuts.
The Big Narstie Show is said to be the latest casualty, with the program facing axing after its fifth series.
Starring comedian Mo Gilligan alongside rapper Big Narsty, the BAFTA-winning show launched in 2018 and features comedy sketches as well as musical performances.
The broadcaster decided not to renew the show for a sixth series as part of a growth period.
The Mail on Sunday recently revealed that channel staff are calling it a “bloodbath” as shows such as the big-money celebrity flop Scared Of The Dark and ground-breaking medical documentary Rescue: Extreme Medics and The Big Blow Out. all are discontinued.
In a statement, a spokesperson confirmed for Deadline: “The decision not to re-commission a sixth series of The Big Narsty Show is not part of our response to the challenges of the advertising market.
“We are extremely proud of the five series we have made of this innovative BAFTA-winning show, but we have to look carefully at what we commission each year to ensure we continue to innovate and offer viewers a diverse range of programmes.
“We look forward to working with Dice, Expectation and Big Narstie on other projects in the future.”
MailOnline has contacted Channel 4 for comment.
It comes as the latest cancellation in a long line of canned TV shows as bosses look to cut costs.
The Mail on Sunday recently revealed that channel staff are calling it a “bloodbath” as shows such as the big-money celebrity flop, Scared Of The Dark and ground-breaking medical documentary Rescue: Extreme Medics and The Big Blow Out, all are discontinued.
The much-hyped comeback of reality series Four Weddings was also canceled, despite a team from an independent production company being brought in to make it.
Staff on fixed-term contracts working on the program were immediately laid off, with some now worried about how they will pay their rent.
Friday night favorite The Last Leg, one of the channel’s most popular shows hosted by Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker, will have its next series cut in length to save money.
The 28th series is due to return this month for a nine-week run, but production bosses have said the channel can only afford to air it for seven weeks.
Channel 4 has instructed lawyers to broker deals with production company executives to walk away from show contracts worth millions of pounds, meaning it has been left with expensive legal bills and exit fees.
The crisis comes after Ms Mahon and her colleague Ian Katz fought the government’s plan to privatize it, arguing that it funded independent production companies across the country.
A source told The Mail on Sunday that the channel thought it was better to cut its losses. But officials accuse Mr Katz of wasting money on expensive but little-watched shows such as reality series Rise And Fall, which is thought to have cost the channel £14m – money that cannot be justified because of its low ratings.
An insider said: “Everyone is calling it a Channel 4 bloodbath.
“Initially everyone was in complete shock when Four Weddings was cancelled.
“It’s almost unheard of for a show that’s doing really well to be discontinued, but once the news started to spread, other shows were falling as well.”
“They were told that Ian Katz had watched all the production on the channel and they were sorry, but it had to happen because there was no money.
“The casting team were already ready to start Naked Attraction and everyone was told they were no longer needed as they weren’t doing another series.
“They’ve tried to play down the blow to the show’s freelance team by saying they hope to do another series in December, but that’s not helping them now.”
Despite reports that Naked Attraction had been cancelled, a Channel 4 representative denied this, saying: “Naked Attraction has not been axed and a new series will return to Channel 4 next year.
“Scared of the Dark has enjoyed an acclaimed first season with excellent linear and streaming performance.
“Channel 4 is in a stable position – but like all commercial operators we are taking some precautions – such as reformulating some content and production – in response to a downturn in the advertising market.
“The majority of our shows are not affected.”
Ms Mahon and Mr Katz announced last week that they had put hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of bonuses on hold and scrapped a planned pay rise amid the crisis.
However, one Channel 4 official said: “It’s only because they have to.”
A spokesperson for the network said: “Channel 4 cares deeply about the independent community and our wider freelancer supply chain. They are the beating heart of our business.
“While we recognize that the actions we are requiring of some cause some short-term pain, the plan we have in place underlines our continued commitment to our financial sustainability and our continued support for the UK’s independent production sector
“CEOs have already decided to delay retention payments and earlier this year declined a pay rise as part of a wider response to a very difficult advertising market in the second quarter, affecting all commercial operators.”