Ratings failure Big Brother 10 has whimpered its way to the live final but with ratings slumping below the 2 million mark, the show's future is simply no longer viable. Channel 4 has scrapped it, and its funeral could be the broadcaster's saving grace. They even axed the cash prize, informing contestants that they'd have to win it back.

The previous year saw the beginning of the nosedive from what used to be a dependable TV staple. Big Brother 9 shed a whopping 15% of viewers since the previous year's series. Ratings have gone down the pan and nobody seemed particularly interested in the latest 'snorefest'. 

A Channel 4 source told The Sun: "We'd prefer the ratings to be growing but those days are gone." But why are viewers turning off from the once top prime-time reality show when in 2000, nearly 10 million were glued to their screens?