BBC cost-cutting claims another casualty as hit gameshow AXED - leaving fans 'gutted'

Players were pitted against one another to test their knowledge and could bank £100 per correct answer - or try and bag the £1,000 by smashing the Unbeatable buzzer if they felt their answer was the best.

A BBC spokesperson confirmed news of the axe to TVZoneUK as they said: "Unbeatable had two great series but we need to make room for new opportunities.

"We’d like to thank Jason and the team for all their hard work."

It didn't take long for fans of the show to share their thoughts on the decision, including one viewer who said on X, formerly Twitter: "#Unbeatable, gutted love the quiz show."

A second slammed the axe as they weighed in: "But as bbc2 full of repeats up to 6pm weekdays be re-screened again and again and again... #Unbeatable.

"Get cbbc on @BBCTwo in afternoon 3.30 till 6pm give British childrens shows better stand out platform and give bbc2 afternoon alternative look to bbc1! @cbbc." (sic)

The Beeb's decision to axe Unbeatable is the latest in a long string of cost-cutting cancellations and shake-ups the corporation has undergone in recent months.

In an attempt to save funds, the BBC cancelled long-running soap Doctors after more than two decades on the air.

The corporation cited "funding challenges" as the reason for the long-running soap's axe as well as "super inflation in drama production".

Doctors followed in the footsteps of fellow medical drama Holby City which came to a close soon before.

Elsewhere, the BBC has also decided to save costs on its flagship BBC Two news programme, Newsnight.

Following Kirsty Wark's decision to quit the show following the next General Election, the Beeb decided to announce major changes to the format.

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Newsnight will ditch its current format in favour of a 30-minute runtime and will replace its investigative films with studio-based debates.

BBC News and Current Affairs CEO Deborah Turness said the Beeb was "in a tough financial climate", and had to make "some difficult choices" as audiences ditch linear TV for online streaming.

In a statement via the BBC, she said: "When we started work on this announcement, I did not know if it would make financial sense to keep Newsnight on air.

"We, like many other news organisations, have streamlined our editorial teams to avoid duplication. It simply no longer makes sense to keep a bespoke reporting team dedicated to a single news programme with a small and declining audience, however good that programme is."