ITV1’s latest splashy entertainment title The Box suffered a distinct setback in the ratings, drawing less than half the audience of a repeat episode of BBC1’s gentle juggernaut Antiques Roadshow. The sharp decline highlights a difficult launch weekend for the commercial broadcaster’s latest weekend format.
Fronted by Gary Lineker in his first major post-BBC entertainment hosting role, the second installment shed 300,000 viewers from its premiere.
Official data from overnights.tv shows that after launching to 1.7 million (a 19% audience share), the second episode slid further, falling behind ITV1’s slot average of 2.1 million (18.1%). Crucially, the decision not to make the series immediately available as a full boxset on ITVX has left the show relying entirely on linear live viewing—a risky strategy that failed to hold its ground against the competition.
Over on BBC1, Antiques Roadshow proved its enduring appeal by drawing 3.3 million viewers—capturing a massive 33.5% share of everyone watching television in that timeslot. Between them, BBC1 and ITV1 were the only main terrestrial channels to break the 1 million viewer milestone.
The Latest In a String of Unfortunate ITV Flops
The sudden ratings slide for The Box marks the latest bump in the road for ITV’s schedule. The show follows a string of recent high-profile flops that failed to deliver expected audiences, including Help! Shark-Infested Waters, The Neighbourhood, and 100 to 1.
Broadcasters face an increasingly difficult challenge launching brand-new studio and reality IP, particularly when going up against established, comfort-viewing juggernauts.
Inside The Box: The Cast and Premise
Adapted from a hit Norwegian format created by Seefood TV, The Box traps ten celebrities inside bright yellow shipping containers. Transported to mystery locations across the UK with zero instructions or context, the stars are released to figure out chaotic physical, mental, and spatial challenges on the fly.
Lineker acts as the observational master of ceremonies, while the celebrities live together between challenges, voting each other into high-stakes “Duels” until only one remains. The eclectic cast bringing this chaotic experiment to life includes:
John Bercow – Former Speaker of the House of Commons
Sara Davies – Entrepreneur and former Dragons’ Den star
Graeme Souness – Football legend and pundit
Joey Essex – Reality TV personality
Ranvir Singh – Television presenter and journalist
JB Gill – Singer (JLS)
Jenny Ryan – Quizzer (The Chase)
Ellie Taylor – Comedian and actress
Danny Aarons – YouTube content creator
Shakira Khan – Digital influencer
What Critics and Viewers Are Saying
The reaction to The Box has been deeply polarized, ranging from amused bewilderment to outright skepticism regarding its surreal premise.
The Critics: Major outlets delivered mixed assessments, praising the cast dynamics while questioning the format’s incoherence. Writing for The Guardian, Sarah Dempster called it a “sustained howl of existential confusion” and highlighted the absurd specter of John Bercow performing a rock song without a shirt during an impromptu battle of the bands. Katie Rosseinsky of The Independent noted that Lineker is a “likeable host... but even he cannot confidently steer a show as scattershot and downright confounding as this one,” giving it two stars. Conversely, The i’s Emily Baker found it surprisingly fun, praising its Traitors-esque social dynamics and backstabbing tactics.
The Viewers: Social media reaction mirrored the critical confusion. While some fans praised the sheer absurdity of seeing figures like Graeme Souness and Joey Essex attempt unexplained tasks, many viewers expressed frustration at the lack of clear rules, comparing it unfavorably to well-oiled comedy-challenge formats like Taskmaster.
With ratings dipping on night two, ITV1 will be hoping word-of-mouth surrounding its bizarre celebrity moments can stabilize the format over the coming weeks.