Channel 5 explains decision to delay Challenge Anneka with two episodes left to go

Channel 5 has elaborated on why it temporarily pulled Anneka Rice series from schedules

Channel 5 has explained why it suddenly dropped Challenge Anneka after just two episodes.

Last month, Rice revealed that the reboot of her show, which first aired in 1989, had been pulled from programming schedules.

The move comes after episode two, which was broadcast on Saturday (25 March), attracted less than one million viewers.

At the time, a spokesperson for Channel 5 said: “The first episode of Challenge Anneka was enjoyed by 1.25 million 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.”

Following this, Rice shared her “thanks” to viewers who had tuned in, explaining: “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.”

Channel 5 has now elaborated on its reasoning for delaying the final two episodes.

“Fans have been asking us when it will be back, so we are delighted to announce that the next episode will be shown during Dementia Awareness week (w/c 15 May), confirming the specific day and time in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson said.

Anneka Rice’s ‘Challenge Anneka’ reboot will resume on Channel 5 in May (Channel 5)

“The last episode will also be scheduled very soon. We want to preserve the series and hope viewers will tune in in May and enjoy watching Anneka and the amazing army of volunteers she gets to join her, in this important – and at times, very emotional – project.”