ITV in ‘chaos as bid to poach Graham Norton from the BBC backfires after plunging show ratings’
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ITV’s plan to poach Graham Norton from the BBC is said to be in chaos after his new show The Neighbourhood suffered a slump in ratings.
Despite being one of the Beeb’s biggest stars for decades, Graham switched channels to launch the new show.
But with falling ratings, doubts have arisen over whether ITV can persuade Graham.
A source said: ‘Taking Graham away from the BBC for a long-term project would be a major blow.
‘They poured everything into The Neighborhood to make it a huge success, but it ended up being a bit of a damp shell.’
Its program was given a prime slot to launch, sandwiched between the I’m A Celebrity All Stars finale, but dropped to 500,000 viewers in the third episode.
ITV’s plan to poach Graham Norton from the BBC is said to be in chaos after ratings for his new show The Neighbourhood plummeted
Ratings are believed to be similar to Genius Game and The Fortune Hotel. SunIt has since been canceled by ITV.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Graham and ITV for comment.
Neighborhood was branded “terrible” and “a brazen attempt to replicate the success of Traitors” by television critics and viewers.
In the 11-part reality series, real households from across the UK compete in a street-wide popularity contest; The last household standing will be awarded a prize of £250,000.
Additionally, chat show host Graham hosts events and mixes things up via group WhatsApp chat.
Even though the show premiered on April 24, not everyone who watched it was impressed.
One viewer wrote: ‘Oh my god it was awful. I have a great capacity for “ridiculous” TV, but after 15 minutes I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s terrible television.”
Another wrote: ‘It seems ITV are desperately trying to make a series that will have the success The Traitors has had’; ‘I closed it, the biggest load of garbage’; ‘I hung up after 10 minutes’.
In a three star review, Metro described the show as ‘the latest and arguably most daring attempt to replicate the massive success of The Traitors’.
Other fans reacted more positively, with one sharing: ‘Am I the only one who loves #Mahalle?
‘I actually really love all the families. ‘These are the type of normal people we want starring in Big Brother.’
Another agreed: ‘#Neighbourhood is so good, better than Britain’s talent, I’d put the neighborhood on prime time on Saturday.’
Despite being one of the Beeb’s biggest stars for decades, Graham switched channels to launch new show
Guard‘s two-star review read: ‘Any sense of danger is conspicuous by its absence.
‘Norton raises the energy when he’s there, but he’s only there for the welcome and dismissal vote.’
The publication also branded The Neighborhood a ‘tired reality show’.
Telegram They wrote in their two-star review: ‘The series is full of quirky little design touches like this, and it feels as if the producers are more focused on how it looks rather than how engaging it is to watch.’
Graham was first confirmed to star in The Neighborhood (his first reality TV project) in February 2025.
He told The Sun at the time: ‘Like everyone else, I’ve always been intrigued by what goes on behind closed doors.
‘Add to that some dastardly challenges and a life-changing reward and I was hooked. ‘I believe The Neighborhood will be the country’s top destination.’
