STARSTRUCK: FUTURE OF ITV SERIES UNCERTAIN WITH REPORTS OF AXING

Starstruck, the ITV music entertainment show which sees members of the public transformed into music icons, is facing an uncertain future on ITV after applications were abruptly closed and production paused.

In February, ahead of the second series, producers opened applications for a third series which they stated they "expect to go ahead later this year". Over the weekend, applications were 'paused'. A message on the website reads: "We are not currently taking any further applications at this time."

ITV say a third series has not yet been commissioned. An ITV spokesperson previously told TV Zone: "Starstruck has been a successful new entertainment format for ITV1 and ITVX, consistently holding its slot in our schedules. We haven’t yet confirmed a third series but are in regular conversations with the show’s producers Remarkable."

A source told the Daily Star On Sunday: "There were plans to film a new series this autumn and air it in 2024, but they have now been scrapped. The top bosses want to try a different show and see how it goes. Starstruck was popular, but it wasn’t as big as shows like Britain’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer, so it was always at risk of being sidelined for something else."

The most recent series, which achieved consolidated ratings of 4 million, saw the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain joining the judging panel alongside Adam Lambert, Beverly Knight and Jason Manford, with Olly Murs hosting the series. Twain replaced Sheridan Smith who left the series due to other work commitments.

In each episode, viewers see contestants undergo the ultimate ‘superstar experience’, shedding their normal personas to become global icons, all courtesy of an elite team of glam and stylists overseeing an extraordinary on screen transformation.

Previous episodes of Starstruck are available on ITVX.