It’s that time of year when the nights grow longer, and the weather gets a little colder, making it the perfect time to cosy up with a good show. The BBC has grown a reputation for producing several incredible dramas, from the gritty Halifax police series Happy Valley to the beloved period medical drama Call the Midwife. But not every show that comes out of the Beeb is top-notch, with some shows being a complete flop, leaving viewers begging for it to stop.

As the festive TV guide comes to an end, let’s take a look at some of the BBC programmes that we need to say goodbye to in the new year. Here are the top five BBC shows that should be cancelled in 2026.

The Apprentice

The Apprentice marked its 20th anniversary on the airwaves, and in my opinion, it hasn’t got any better with age. The show is desperately outdated and is a complete waste in a primetime TV slot. It should have been cancelled years ago.

Its format has hardly changed since it was launched back in 2005. We still see a group of aspiring entrepreneurs make total fools of themselves in a series of team-based business challenges designed to test their commercial insight, negotiation skills, leadership, and salesmanship.

Over 12 weeks, 18 candidates are divided into teams to tackle tasks, such as creating new products, running tours, or launching advertising campaigns. Lord Alan Sugar – supported by advisors Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell- analyses their failures and fires one candidate a week.

Every year, we see the same old shots of the apprentices filing into limousines or running along streets in slick suits and high heels. Viewers will be reminded of repetitive edits of each candidate’s unusual business ventures, when in reality, half of them have no real interest in becoming Lord Sugar’s next business partner.

Since the lockdown, British businesses have been struggling to stay afloat, and with several on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s less amusing to see business hopefuls failing on live television.

(Image: BBC/Naked)

Strictly Come Dancing

Just a few years ago, Strictly Come Dancing was the BBC’s crown jewel of reality TV, consistently drawing millions of viewers every week. A ratings powerhouse, the long-running show had celebrities lining up around the block to participate in the series each year.

But it’s fair to say the ballroom competition has had quite the fall from grace in recent years. The dance show has weathered numerous scandals, TV controversies, cast injuries, and BBC leaks for years.

Now that long-standing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have stepped down from their presenting duties on the show, the series is set to embark on a year of change. But after 21 years on the airwaves, I think it’s about time that broadcasters shelve the BBC show for a few years so that it can come back bigger and better than ever.

(Image: PA)

Casualty

It’s the world’s longest-running medical drama on the airwaves, but as it approaches its 40-year anniversary, I think this year should be its last. It centres on the professional and personal lives of the staff and patients in the A&E department of the fictional hospital, Holby City Hospital.

The future of the show was left on tenterhooks last year when a huge restructure was announced, with the series relaunch moving to Wales rather than the fictional city of Holby. The new Casualty producer took over in November, with the revamped episodes airing in late 2026.

Over the years, the series has been given several lifelines, such as the introduction of Barney Walsh’s character Cameron ‘Cam’ Mickelthwaite and extra funding, but none have been enough to boost the viewing figures, and I fear the move to Wales will only follow suit.

(Image: PA)

MasterChef

Another show that has weathered its fair share of scandals this year is MasterChef. Earlier this year, the BBC show suffered a huge scandal after it was revealed that host Gregg Wallace was at the heart of a widespread misconduct investigation. Across the show’s 20-year history, the disgraced greengrocer was reportedly involved in allegations of sexual harassment.

An independent report by law firm Lewis Silkin, commissioned by production company Banijay UK, upheld 45 of the 83 complaints against Wallace following complaints of unwelcome physical contact, sexually explicit language, and being in a state of undress.

Wallace was sacked in July 2025 after vehemently denying being a “groper, a sex pest, or a flasher”, but apologised for causing distress. He wasn’t the only host to suffer backlash on the show, after his co-host John Torode was axed for using “severely offensive” racist terms on the set back in 2018.

One week later, he was dismissed, with the BBC stating that they would not tolerate such language. Torode insisted he had “no recollection” of the incident. Following the scandal, the programme was put on hiatus, and I have to admit, I didn’t miss it.

Since its return earlier this year, now hosted by food critic Grace Dent and Irish chef Anna Haugh, the series has failed to gain the same level of viewership. This Christmas, it brought back a festive special where celebrities stepped into the infamous kitchens, but it didn’t have the same sparkle, and I doubt it ever will. There are plenty of cookery competitions on the airwaves, the Great British Menu being one of them, so one less definitely won’t hurt.

(Image: BBC/Shine TV)

Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel

One show that has been a surprising hit in 2025 is Michael McIntyre’s late-night game show, The Wheel. The BBC show sees three contestants compete to win a life-changing amount of cash with the help of seven celebrity ‘experts’.

But these celebs are a far cry away from “experts” in their chosen fields, with many later revealing that they were less than useless to the hopeful players vying for an eye-watering amount of money. To me, the show is a pointless and terrible train wreck.

Hosted by the beloved comic, it’s a cringeworthy version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. For me, one of the worst bits is where the stars awkwardly dance as the wheel spins, which takes up at least 50 per cent of the show.

It’s almost an hour-long show with hardly any questions, filled with awful banter and zero strategy. Although I can see why families enjoy it, I think there are far better quiz shows on the airwaves that have just as much joy and laughter with a stronger concept and format.

(Image: BBC)