Cash-strapped broadcaster reduces number of episodes

Channel 4 has reduced the number of episodes of The Last Leg to save money.

The 28th series of the show, fronted by Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker, has been reduced from nine episodes to seven, trade website Broadcast reports. 

It will be the long-running show’s shortest run since lockdown.

The broadcaster is facing a budget crunch with rising production costs and reduced advertising spending. Earlier this week it was revealed that its  leading executives were giving up significant bonuses ‘as part of a wider response to a very difficult ad market’. 

Channel 4 is making a series of cuts – including axing reality show  Four Weddings reboot at the eleventh hour – and cancelling programmes that were in the early stages of development or had not yet been formally commissioned.

 The 28th series of The Last Leg kicks off on Friday June 30 and will now wrap on Friday August 11, rather than the originally scheduled August 25.

Published: 7 Jun 2023