WATERCOLOUR CHALLENGE 'AXED BY CHANNEL 5 ONE SERIES AFTER REBOOT'

Channel 5 have seemingly axed Watercolour Challenge after rebooting the series last year for one series.

The format, which previously aired on Channel 4, was revived for a 20-part daytime series on Channel 5.

Fern Britton took over from original host Hannah Gordon for the series that sees amateur artists compete to capture the beauty of Britain with watercolours. Each week, they are judged by a guest professional artist who then selects a winner to appear in a regional final.

It's now reported that the series will not be returning. Speaking to LBC host Iain Dale on his Book Club podcast, Fern revealed: "It was a lovely series. We did 20 shows but I hear that it’s not coming back, which is fine...

She continued: "It just didn’t perform consistently. You can’t afford to have a show that doesn’t perform consistently. But it was good fun and it was well-made."

Speaking about the first series, Channel 5 commissioner Guy Davies said: “Watercolour Challenge is a feelgood classic and it’s high time to bring it back as part of Channel 5’s strengthening of daytime.”

Channel 5 recently announced a range of daytime commissions, including a reboot of Cash In The Attic, Auction Showdown and Holiday Home Show. More details on all those and more can be found on the TV Zone website.

Watercolour Challenge is available on My5.