Britain’s Top Takeaways: Major BBC cooking show axed as Brits ‘fall out of love’ with food

A major cooking show is believed to have been chopped - suggesting UK viewers are “getting fed up” with food programmes. Sara Cox’s Britain’s Top Takeaways, which debuted last year, has reportedly been axed after just one series.

The eight-part BBC2 programme was hosted by Radio 2 DJ Sara and Dancing On Ice star Darren Harriott. The show followed independent takeaways as they battled it out to be crowned the UK’s best.

It comes after ITV’s Bad Chefs and Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver were also dropped. A TV insider told the Sun: “The spate of axed cooking shows on the schedules suggest viewers are getting fed up with them.

“It seems like Britain has fallen out of love with food. It’s a saturated market with so much competition, so it’s no surprise really that some shows find it hard to stand out.”

Britain’s Best Takeaways featured five eateries from the same sector over hour-long episodes. The takeaways competed in a “Top Takeaway Kitchen” and the food was then delivered to local households who picked the winner.

Each delivery included a classic dish, chef’s special, veggie option and sides. Ahead of its launch last year, presenter Sarah Cox said: “When I first heard about this show they had me at takeaway.

“In our house, we look forward to burgers, noodles, curry - all delicious and delivered to our front door, so I’m thrilled to be celebrating the takeaway and finding the very best in Britain. If that means eating all the left-over chips and putting on half a stone, so be it.”

Celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver has previously told BBC News he finds cooking programmes “uneasy” and “stressful” and that they are not his “cup of tea”. He added: “I’m not judging the shows per se, I know people love them, but it’s never really been my bag.

“So when I was asked to do one myself, my first response wasn’t particularly polite. But because it’s through the lens of publishing and the written word, strangely that did honestly change everything.

“As I started to get into it, I was only wanting to do it if the show was more soulful and unexpected and aspirational.”