Expensive BBC series to make huge changes after dismal ratings

Survivor host Joel Dommett has hinted at changes being made for season two (Picture: BBC/Remarkable)

Survivor is said to be returning for a second series, but host Joel Dommett has promised that huge changes will be in store.

The hit BBC programme, which followed 18 ordinary people becoming castaways and stranded on a remote desert island, fighting for survival to win £100,000, returned after more than 20 years off screens.

The contestants were flown out to the Dominican Republic and split into two tribes where they had to outwit each other and dabble in betrayal to become victorious, going head-to-head as they voted each other out.

And although there were some tense scenes and brutal challenges, it didn’t manage to secure nostalgic viewers, and despite spending a rumoured £30,000,000 and a prime time slot, failed with dismal ratings.

However, it’s now said to be returning for a second season, with The Masked Singer presenter Joel promising some changes.

When asked by Metro about whether we could expect a second series of the competition, the 38-year-old comedian said: ‘Fingers crossed… there’s a lot of stuff that we would do slightly differently.

‘Like with every first series, it’s hard, so I think a second series would be amazing.

‘Everyone seems to really love it, so I’m excited that – hopefully – [we get to] do another one.’

The first season failed to make impressive ratings (Picture: BBC/Remarkable)

This comes as a BBC source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It has come as a huge surprise that Survivor is coming back. 

‘It is viewed by many within the Beeb as being a very expensive flop and the general view was that it should – and would – be canned.

‘To spend that amount of money on a programme that is watched by such few people surely is a silly way to spend public money.’

The first episode of the Survivor revival, which launched in October last year, attracted just 2.6 million viewers on average, despite airing in the desirable post-Strictly slot of 8.25pm on Saturday.

It was approximately two million less than the figure Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel managed the week prior.

David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III was moved from its Sunday 8pm slot for the second episode of Survivor, which had 2.3 million viewers – less than a repeat of the Antiques Roadshow on BBC2.

Metro.co.uk has approached the BBC for comment.

Survivor is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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The first series cost a rumoured £30,000,000.