Ninja Warrior UK 'axed' by ITV

'Ninja Warrior UK' is said to have been axed by ITV.

The iconic obstacle assault course game show, which was hosted by Ben Shephard, Rochelle Humes and Chris 'Kammy' Kamara, is said to have been cancelled due to the ratings success of rival BBC's reboot of 'Gladiators'.

A source told The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column: “For years Ninja Warrior was one of ITV’s biggest shows and scooped up all those families who missed Gladiators.

“Ben Shephard, Rochelle Humes, and Kammy made the series a big success.

“But when the BBC revived Gladiators last year, it sounded the death knell for ITV’s ninjas. It was an absolute ratings champion, pulling in over six million viewers versus 1.6 million for Ninja Warrior’s last series in 2022.

“A decision was therefore taken to rest Ninja Warrior for good.”

The show went on a three-year hiatus after the 2019 series but returned with a sixth series titled 'Ninja Warrior UK: Race for Glory' in 2022.

The programme first aired on ITV in 2015 and was based on the Japanese game show 'Sasuke'.

After the revival of 'Gladiators' – which is hosted by father and son Bradley and Barney Walsh - averaged six million viewers for this year's series, the BBC quickly greenlit a second instalment, with the 11-part series set to air in early 2025.

That's not all, there is also set to be a "one-off" Celebrity Special.