Never Mind the Buzzcocks axed from BBC2 after 18 years

Space is being created for new entertainment shows after 28 series

Never Mind the Buzzcocks first launched back in 1996 (Rex Features)

Comedy quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks has been cancelled after 18 years.

BBC Two has axed the long-running panel series, which pitted two teams against each other to test their pop knowledge and first began in 1996.

The channel's controller Kim Shillinglaw and BBC entertainment controller Mark Linsey are understood to have made the decision to end Never Mind the Buzzcocks after its dropping ratings failed to improve, Broadcast reports.

Rhod Gilbert hosted the 28th and final series, which averaged 1.1 million viewers and was down on the 2013 run.

"After 28 series we've decided not to bring Never Mind the Buzzcocks back to the BBC. This will create space for new entertainment formats in the future," a BBC spokesperson said.

Reaction to the news has been mixed on social media, with some bemoaning the loss of the show...

Previous host Simon Amstell left Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2009 while Mark Lamar had kicked things off when the show launched.

There have been a massive 269 episodes, with Phill Jupitus, Sean Hughes, Bill Bailey and Noel Fielding among the best known team captains.