ITV show axed

Popular series gets the chop, thanks to Titanic buget...

08:34 20 April 2012

Wild at Heart has been axed after seven years because of the cost of ITVÂ’s mini-series Titanic, it has been reported.

ItÂ’s been claimed that the show has been sunk due to ITV having to make cutbacks following the high production costs of its Titanic series.

The long-running wildlife dramaÂ’s ratings had slumped to 5.7million viewers during the last series, after going head-to-head with the BBCÂ’s Call the Midwife.

The ratings average for the series were higher at 7.5million, more than double the 3.5million viewers who tuned in to see the final episode of the expensive Julian Fellowes-written Titanic mini-series.

A show source told the Mirror:

"The feeling is that they sunk so much money into Titanic that they are having to make savings elsewhere and we are bearing the brunt of that.

"WeÂ’re all gutted that it has come to this. There are shows that would kill for 7.5million viewers."

The show, which stars Steven Tompkinson and Lucy-Jo Hudson, will bow out with a two hour special to be filmed towards the end of the year.

Earlier this year Tompkinson commented on the showÂ’s precarious position as an expensive production, saying:

"Everyone worked hard because we thought, if this is the last series, weÂ’ll make it the best."

An ITV spokeswoman said ending the show had been a "difficult decision" and said the two-hour special will ensure it goes out "on a high".