BBC bosses ‘axe two Saturday night shows fronted by Paddy McGuinness’
BBC bosses ‘axe two Saturday night shows fronted by Paddy McGuinness’ – after his other series Top Gear saw horror crash and Question of Sport recorded ratings drop
Half of the shows fronted by Paddy McGuinness will not be returning to screens, it has been claimed.
According to The Sun, both Catchpoint and I Can See Your Voice, which are fronted by the presenter, 49, have been given the axe.
A TV insider told the publication: ‘This will come as a real blow to Paddy, who’s made a firm commitment to the Beeb since he quit ITV four years ago.
‘Both I Can See Your Voice and Catchpoint saw him retain his place as a star of Saturday night TV, something he forged fronting dating favourite Take Me Out on ITV.
‘But these axings mean that’s effectively gone, so he’s likely to be looking for new projects to fill the void.
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Moving on? Half of the shows fronted by Paddy McGuinness, 49, will not be returning to screens, it has been claimed (Paddy pictured for I Can See Your Voice)
‘He remains hugely popular with viewers, who see him as a relatable and funny bloke they want to welcome into their living rooms. He is likely to bounce back in some way.’
MailOnline has contacted the BBC and representatives for Paddy for comment.
It comes after work on the latest series of Top Gear was paused after Paddy’s co-host Freddy Flintoff was seriously inured in a crash while filming.
It has also been claimed Question of Sport has lost millions of viewers since Sue Barker left as host, with Paddy replacing her.
The BBC sports quiz show was fronted by Sue, 66, from 1997 until last year when she was replaced by Paddy McGuinness, 49, with audience numbers dropping to an average of 850,000 this series, according to The Sun.
One episode on August 19 peaked at 750,000, with the programme being beaten by a Channel 5 show about a farm shop.
Between four and five million viewers regularly tuned in when Sue was host before she was given the boot in 2020 when bosses decided to refresh the programme.
MailOnline contacted the BBC for comment.
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End of the road? According to The Sun , both Catchpoint and I Can See Your Voice, which are fronted by the presenter, 49, have been given the axe (Paddy pictured for Catchpoint)
Meanwhile, it was recently reported Freddie Flintoff ‘is putting his career on hold’ after his Top Gear crash.
The England cricket legend, 45, hosts the BBC One motoring show with Paddy and Chris Harris, 48, but is taking a break from broadcasting until he is in ‘a better place’ following his accident.
The former sportsman was airlifted to hospital after being involved in a horror smash during a drag race involving fellow presenters Paddy and Chris at the show’s test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
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Struggling? Ratings for Question of Sport have slumped to a new low following the departure of long-running host Sue Barker (centre) (Pictured with former team captains Matt Dawson (left) and Phil Tufnell (right) in 2020)
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New start: The BBC sports quiz show was fronted by Sue, 66, from 1997 until last year when she was replaced by Paddy McGuinness
A source told The Sun newspaper: ‘He is putting his career on hold until he is in a better place mentally and physically, and can’t say when he will return to making TV shows.
‘As a loving husband and dad he understands the fear his family feel about what’s happened, knowing that he could have been killed.’
Freddie – who has daughter Holly, 18, sons Corey, 16, Rocky, 14, and Preston, four, with his wife Rachel – understands that there are ‘more important things’ to focus on than his media career, like his healing journey.
The source added: ‘That’s why this decision will be a painful one for Freddie, but he knows that, for now at least, there are more important things in life.’
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Horrific: It comes after Top Gear star Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has reportedly put his TV career on hold after his horror car crash while filming for the show