Anneka Rice has praised her ‘army of volunteers’ in response to the cancellation of Channel 5’s Challenge Anneka.
The first series ran on the BBC between 1989 and 1995, until The Hotel Inspector broadcaster announced a revival in May of this year.
However, after just two episodes of the four-part revival aired, the last installment, which was scheduled to air this weekend, was cancelled.
On Wednesday, the 64-year-old broadcaster replied to reports that Challenge Anneka had been ‘axed’ on Twitter.
She wrote: ‘Thanks if you’ve watched so far! We always knew we were on a “floating schedule” so might be bumped off at any moment. We’ll keep you posted.
‘The main thing for me is the projects are all up and running and I love & salute our army of volunteers who made this possible. Thank you.’
A Channel 5 spokesperson had said they had ‘decided to preserve the remaining two shows and reschedule them soon.’
They said: ‘The first episode of Challenge Anneka was enjoyed by 1.25 million / 10% viewers, but Saturday evenings are always highly competitive, especially at this time of year.
‘The public and critical reaction to Challenge Anneka’s return has been amazing and we have decided to preserve the remaining two shows and reschedule them soon.’
Anneka and her team of volunteers have tackled a range of tasks and responded to difficulties that the British public was facing, as well as spotlighting ordinary heroes, throughout the relaunch.
And the now-cancelled episode was supposed to see Anneka charged with constructing seven businesses, a town green, stunning landscaping, and an onsite café where caretakers could rest and relax.
The original show, which was revived on ITV for two special episodes that aired in 2006 and 2007, drew up to 12 million viewers who tuned in to watch Anneka descend by helicopter in a location she had no prior knowledge of.
Anneka, who earlier confessed she didn’t like the show’s name, would then be faced with convincing people and businesses to assist her in completing a philanthropic project in record time.
Challenge Anneka is available to stream on My5.
