Anneka Rice pokes fun at Channel 5 dropping Challenge Anneka

Her fans have called the decision ‘crushing’ and ‘disgraceful’

Anneka Rice has poked fun at Channel 5‘s decision to axe Challege Anneka after just two episodes.

It was revealed on Tuesday (28 March) that the reboot of the 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.

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.”

Showing she had taken the decision in her stride, Rice then shared a behind-the-scenes photo of herself alongside camerman Dave Chapman.

In her caption, she quipped that “finding a new home” for the show was her next challenge.

“Hey Dave. We’ve got 24 hours to find a new home. #ChallengeAnneka,” she wrote, follwing which her many fans flooded the reply sections with outraged messages condemning Channel 5’s decision.

Anneka Rice takes Channel 5’s decision to drop ‘Challenge Anneka; in her stride (Twitter)

When one fan pointed out that Channel 5 were “still trading off the show on their Twitter”, sharing a screenshot of Challenge Anneka appearing on the top of the channel’s official Twitter page, Rice replied: “Hmmmm.”

Find fan repsonses to Challenge Anneka being dropped below.

It is currently unknown where or when the rebooted Challege Anneka’s final two episodes will air.