Top show 'at risk of axe' just weeks after first series as ITV offer update

Daily Mirror

07-07-2025

Genius Game, hosted by David Tennant, launched earlier this year on ITV but there is already speculation about its future just weeks after its first series concluded last month
There's speculation that ITV is "poised to axe" a show that launched just months ago. Genius Game drew comparisons to the Traitors but didn't reach the same viewing figures as its BBC rival in its first series, which aired earlier this year.
Genius Game, which was hosted by David Tennant, saw eleven contestants compete in a series of games for the chance to win a cash prize. It launched in April and ran for eight episodes, with the finale having aired last month.
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The first episode, as previously reported, drew 1.2 million viewers but ratings dropped to 800,000 for the second episode. They are said to have reduced even further by the finale six weeks later and the show is now reportedly at risk.
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The Sun claims that ITV is "poised to axe" Genius Game. It reports that the show is believed to have cost £2.5 million but had an average audience of 661,000 by the end. The finale is said to have drawn the similar figures as a repeat of BBC Two 's Pangolins: The World's Most Wanted Animal.
A source told the outlet that the game show is considered a "disaster" by some people. They claimed: "Publicly ITV maintains that no firm decision has been taken, but most execs and commissioners view it as a disaster.
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"Not only did it occupy a primetime 9pm slot, it had a big-name host and was seen as a potential rival for BBC's The Traitors. But of the five main channels on June 11, it was beaten by two and equalled by BBC2, thanks to those pangolins."
A spokesperson for ITV however suggested to the Mirror this evening that the future of Genius Game following its debut series has yet to be decided. When approached for comment, they told us: "No decision has yet been made."
As reported by Radio Times, according to Broadcast, BBC One show Race Across the World 's fifth season pulled in 4.2 million overnight viewers on June 11. That was the same night that Genius Game concluded with its own finale.
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According to figures, published by the outlet the following day, Genius Game did slightly surprass Pangolins - The World's Most Wanted Animal. It was listed as the third most watched show in its slot mong the five main channels.
The outlet said that Race Across the World "blew away" its competition that night. It reported that an episode of Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts on 5 was the closest to reaching its success with overnight figures of 718,000.
It added that Genius Game on ITV followed with 661,000 and then BBC Two's Pangolins - The World's Most Wanted Animal with 660,000 viewers at the time. Whilst an episode of Britain's Most Expensive Homes is said to have brought 597,000 viewers to Channel 4 in the same slot.
The first series of Genius Game saw eleven contestants compete in a series of challenges, with one player typically eliminated after each one. Like in shows such as the Traitors, some contestants engaged in social strategies to help with their efforts in a bid to make it all the way to the final.
Viewers saw comedian Ken Cheng and student Charlotte Yeung reach the final after seven episodes. The pair went head-to-head in the eighth episode, which ended with Ken being named the winner and Charlotte the runner-up.