ITV’s plan to poach Graham Norton from the BBC is said to be in chaos after his new show The Neighbourhood suffered plunging ratings.
Despite being one of the Beeb’s biggest stars for decades, Graham switched channels to launch the new show.
Yet with plummeting ratings, it has now thrown doubt on whether ITV will manage to lure Graham over.
A source said: ‘It would be a huge coup to tempt Graham away from the BBC with a long-term project.
‘They threw everything at The Neighbourhood to make it a big success, but it’s ended up a bit of a damp squib.’
His show was given a prime slot for its launch, sandwiched between the I’m A Celebrity All Stars final, but it’s fallen to 500,000 viewers by episode three.
ITV’s plan to poach Graham Norton from the BBC is said to be in chaos after his new show The Neighbourhood suffered plunging ratings
The ratings are believed to be similar to Genius Game and The Fortune Hotel according to The Sun, which have since been cancelled by ITV.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Graham and ITV for a comment.
The Neighbourhood has been branded ‘dreadful’ and a ‘brazen attempt to replicate the success of The Traitors’ by television critics and viewers alike.
The 11-part reality series sees real households from across the UK compete in a street-wide popularity contest – with a prize of £250,000 for the last house standing.
In addition, chat show host Graham oversees events and stirs the pot via the group WhatsApp chat.
Although as the programme debuted on April 24, not everyone watching was left impressed.
One viewer wrote: ‘Oh my goodness it was dreadful. I have a huge capacity for “drivel” TV but I couldn’t stay with this after 15 minutes. Awful TV.’
Another penned: ‘Seems like ITV is trying desperately to make a show that will have the success The Traitors has’; ‘Turned it off, the biggest load of rubbish’; ‘I turned it off after 10 minutes’.
In a three-star review, Metro described the show as ‘the latest – and arguably boldest – brazen attempt to replicate the colossal success of The Traitors.’
Other fans had a more positive reaction, with one posting: ‘Am I the only person who’s loving #TheNeighbourhood.
‘I actually really like all the families. This is the type of normal people we want cast on Big Brother.’
A second agreed: ‘#Theneighbourhood is gooood, better than Britain’s got talent, i would put The neighbourhood on prime time saturday.’
Despite being one of the Beeb’s biggest stars for decades, Graham switched channels to launch the new show
The Guardian’s two-star review read: ‘Any sense of jeopardy is conspicuous by its absence.
‘Norton lifts the energy when he’s there but is only present for the welcome and removals-voting.’
The publication also branded The Neighbourhood as a ‘tired reality show’.
The Telegraph stated in their two-star assessment: ‘The show is full of quirky little design touches like this, and it seems as if the producers have put more thought into how it looks than how engaging it is to watch.’
Graham was first confirmed to front The Neighbourhood – his first reality TV project – back in February 2025.
He told The Sun at the time: ‘Like everyone, I’m always intrigued by what goes on behind closed doors.
‘Add to that some dastardly challenges and a life-changing prize and I’m hooked. I feel confident that The Neighbourhood will be the nation’s favourite destination.’
