BBC axes The Greatest Dancer after ratings struggle

The Greatest Dancer
(Image credit: BBC)

Simon Cowell's first BBC project won't be returning...

The Greatest Dancer has been cancelled by the BBC after low ratings.

Simon Cowell created the series which saw Cheryl and Oti Mabuse as "dance captains".

Undiscovered dance acts performed live for a chance to win £50,000 and the chance to perform on Strictly Come Dancing.

Competitors varied in age, with the youngest age requirement being at least 7-years-old.

Alesha Dixon and Diversity's Jordan Banjo presented the competition, which ran for two seasons.

The Greatest Dancer

The BBC dancing competition won't be returning...

A TV source told The Sun, "The writing was on the wall a while back.

“Now the BBC and everyone involved has decided enough is enough and they’ve binned it.

They added, “Critics liked it and it pulled in a younger audience. But the cost of the big production for the ratings the show delivered was too much.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “Whilst there are no plans for a further series, we are proud of the show and would like to thank everyone involved.”

They added that the broadcaster "would like to thank everyone involved in bringing so many memorable moments to BBC1".

The Greatest Dancer had the BBC prime time spot but only pulled in 2.8 million viewers during its final episode.

It struggled against ITV's The Voice on Saturday nights, with more viewers flocking to the singing competition.

Latin ballroom dancers Michael and Jowita were the last winners and got the chance to dance on Strictly.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress