You’ve Been Framed has been ‘axed after 33 years’

Iconic TV show You’ve Been Framed has reportedly been given the axe after 33 years airing on the nation’s screens.

Originally hosted by the late Jeremy Beadle beginning in 1990, the home footage show of real life mishaps has reportedly fallen victim to society’s social media habits. The show was permanently taken over by presenter Harry Hill in 2004 to present day, and was the only place viewers could watch footage of regular people having hilarious ‘whoopsie’ moments — and up to 15 million tuned in.

With modern technology and smartphones, peoples’ viewing habits have changed and it seems they enjoy watching hilarious clips on social media apps such as TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram — where they can also share funny GIFs and memes.

A TV insider told The Sun: “The fact that You’ve Been Framed has been shelved is a sad time of the times. It’s a different world to Jeremy Beadle’s heyday. Why would viewers tune into a show to watch funny videos when they could see the same sort of thing on the internet?

“Silly clips are hugely popular on social media and the right video can go viral. There’s a thrill in achieving that — even though you don’t earn the £250 fee which You’ve Been Framed paid for contributions.”

The final episode of the iconic show aired in August 2022 and was hosted by comic, Hill – with the series not set to return to our screens again.

Hill narrated 341 of the total 701 episodes which aired on our screens over the past 33 years. Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley took over the show in 1998 from Beadle and Jonathan Wilkes took over from her for one series in 2003.

Sadly, ratings have waned over recent years and the habit of sitting down at a set time each evening to watch a TV programme has become somewhat old-fashioned, particularly amongst younger generations. The warning signs arose when the repeats shown on Sundays ditched the section asking viewers to send in their clips for payment. ITV also removed You’ve Been Framed from its website.

The programme was a simple and inexpensive one to make but it was not without its problems. The vetting of videos took much time and effort for producers and there were submissions of acts of violence and set-up shots — which were shunned.

Hill said: “I don’t get to see the long list of shots but I know there are a lot of fakes — and sex videos.” Discussing his long tenure as host he joked: “Maybe I should call it a day.”

Harry believed the humour the show offered was universal and was why he stayed with it for nearly two decades, saying: “It’s a primeval thing, people falling over. It’s just funny. That’s the main thing and then the TV clips bring in another layer for the grown-ups.

“In 200 years, people will still be laughing about people falling over.”