90s reality reboot cancelled after just one series as Channel 5 boss calls axe ‘a disaster'
Ben Frow, 5's Chief Content Officer, announced two major cancellations today as part of Edinburgh's TV Festival.
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Alongside Challenge Anneka – which was pulled from the schedule with one episode never airing – Frow confirmed that Faking It has also been culled.
Speaking on the decision, he said: "I think it was a disaster [the show] didn't work, because it was brilliantly made."
Faking It originally existed from Channel 4 from 2000 to 2006, and followed people trying to learn a brand new career path in the space of four weeks.
With the help of an expert in the field, the participant was then tested by competing with trained people in that skill at the end - with a panel having to figure out who was 'faking it' and who was legitimate.
The series was rebooted by Channel 5 last year with three episodes, but it's now confirmed to not be renewed.
Running from May to June, the three episodes saw a fish fryer learn to be a sushi chef, an estate agent become a market trader, and a painter-decorator learn to be a make-up artist.
The series came under fire by unimpressed viewers, who labelled the show a "fix" after its first episode on air in 19 years.
Showing Surrey luxury estate agent Rex swap properties for northern street markets, with the help of newly-announced Strictly star and wheeler dealer Tom Skinner.
As part of the ruse, Rex had to adopt a northern accent and tackle gruelling 10-hour shifts, but managed to convince the market traders he had to fool.
The show suffered flailing ratings and couldn't grab an audience enough to keep it on air.
The first episode failed to get into the Top 50 shows airing that week, according to ratings monitor BARB, with several episodes of The Chase and BBC News topping it.
The announcement came alongside the axe of Challenge Anneka, the reboot of the 80s series starring Anneka Rice working on charitable projects by recruiting local companies.
During his appearance at Edinburgh TV Fest, Frow admitted the channel had started the year on a difficult note, but stated it was a "tough time for linear television" in general.
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But maybe I should feel sorry for them, It must be such hard work having to pretend all the time. 'Anyway, all you Sinners keep your heads up and keep trying to be better. All you Saints, it's ok not to be perfect xxx' Peter shared his side of the story on Thursday, explaining: 'For sixteen years, I have stayed silent in the face of repeated lies from my ex-wife and her family, out of respect for my children and loved ones, but staying silent has been incredibly frustrating. That ends today. 'The latest comments about my children's welfare and living arrangements compel me to set the record straight. For well-documented reasons, and for their safety, Junior and Princess came into my care in 2018 and remained with me until they reached adulthood. 'In 2019, the family courts issued a legally binding order to enforce this arrangement. I have never made this public before, out of respect for my children. 'In 2011 and 2015, publicly documented court cases found my ex-wife had made false claims. She was ordered to pay substantial damages and legal costs, and to apologise to me and my management. The same falsehoods are being repeated today.
