Anneka Rice has been left upset and mystified after the much hyped reboot of her legendary show Challenge Anneka has 'vanished' from the Channel 5 schedule after just two episodes.
There was great excitement last year when it was announced that Anneka, following a TV comeback for a short lived stint on Strictly Come Dancing a few years earlier, would be bringing back her famous programme, decades after it was much watch TV for BBC viewers.
Confirming Challenge Anneka's return last summer, Anneka said: “Dave the Soundman and I may have 130 years between us but the whole team is as motivated as ever to make a difference and shine a spotlight on people and organisations who need help."
Outlining what viewers could expect from the new run, Anneka added: “The issues may look different but at their core they are the same; they’re about people and communities. And we may look a bit different too but our hearts and willingness to get stuck in are the same.”
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Viewers shared in Anneka's delight that the show was coming back but that's now turned to anger and uncertainty as the show has been pulled from its 9pm Saturday night slot.
Speaking out on what's happened, Anneka took to Twitter to post: "Thanks if you’ve watched so far! We always knew we were on a “floating schedule” so might be bumped off at any moment. We’ll keep you posted.The main thing for me is the projects are all up and running and I love & salute our army of volunteers who made this possible"
Fans were quick to condemn the move, with one telling Anneka: "Crushed beyond words. Thrilled to have you back, LOVED the first episode - the execution right across the board was bang on. This is all about scheduling. Wrong day, wrong time (and yeah probably wrong channel but we’re grateful 5 gave it a go). I’m honestly gutted."
A second responded: "The reboot should never have been 90 minutes and certainly not starting at 9pm on a bloody Saturday!! It’s the perfect 8-9pm midweek cosy treat, and deserves so much better than this."
Addressing the scheduling change, a Channel 5 spokesperson told The Sun: The first episode of Challenge Anneka was enjoyed by 1.25 million / 10% viewers, but Saturday evenings are always highly competitive, especially at this time of year.
"The public and critical reaction to Challenge Anneka’s return has been amazing and we have decided to preserve the remaining two shows and reschedule them soon.”
Anneka returned to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to share a clip of the third episode of Challenge Anneka. Giving a teaser of what was involved, she wrote: "Next Challenge,we built an entire dementia village for @age_uk: pub, cafe, bakers, record shop, cinema. 100s of volunteers, all touched by http://dementia.It was beyond profound."
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