The BBC has axed three long-running entertainment shows – Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo – as part of efforts to make £500m of savings over the next three years. The main Mastermind series will continue with Clive Myrie as host, but its celebrity spin-off will end after one more already-filmed series, while Blankety Blank and Live at the Apollo will each broadcast a final outstanding series before finishing. The BBC said the cuts were among "really tough choices" forced by funding challenges, with savings identified specifically from its Entertainment genre.

All three shows had seen viewing figures decline sharply in recent years: Celebrity Mastermind fell from 4m viewers in 2017 to 1.7m most recently, Blankety Blank dropped from 5.5m in 2021 to 2.3m, and Live at the Apollo fell from around 1.3m in 2018 to about 660,000. The BBC said the move forms part of a target to deliver at least £100m in recurring annual savings, cutting 100-150 hours of originated TV programming by 2027/28, with further cuts across its content division to be announced in coming months. Live at the Apollo, which launched emerging comedians including Michael McIntyre and Sarah Millican, will be replaced by new digital plans focused on stand-up talent, while Blankety Blank presenter Bradley Walsh had recently said he lacked time to film another series.