Keith Lemon has taken to his Instagram page to share the real reason why one of his TV programmes was axed by ITV despite it proving to be a hit with fans

Keith Lemon has confirmed that his ITV show was axed and has given the real reason behind the cancellation.

The TV star took to his Instagram page to confirm that The Keith and Paddy Picture Show has been axed. The show was axed back in 2019 but Keith didn’t open up about it at the time.

Keith has now said to his followers that he’s decided to “quit comedy” so he can focus on other jobs instead. Taking to Instagram Live, he said: “The next thing I pitch won’t be comedy, it’s too difficult to get away, someone like me who is on the edge. The next thing I do will be a straight thing.”

The Keith and Paddy Picture Show saw Keith and TV presenter Paddy McGuinness recreate iconic movie scenes. Other well-known faces such as Michelle Keegan, Ant and Dec, Louise Redknapp and David Dickinson also took part in the series.

The Keith and Paddy Picture Show was cancelled (
Image:
ITV / Talkback)

Well-known faces appeared on the show (
Image:
ITV / Talkback)

However, ITV decided to get rid of the show when viewer numbers started to decline when the second series aired in 2018. At the time, a TV source told Daily Star: “After a lot of discussions it’s been decided the show won’t return. It was a fantastic part of ITV’s schedule and created a lot of buzz because the spoofs were so funny.

“But once ratings started to drop, execs had to make a tough decision to ditch it. They’re both still considered hot properties in the TV world. The concept of The Keith & Paddy Show was a good one, so they may get the chance to do spoofs together in the future for other shows. Hopefully, it won’t be the last we see of them playing dress-up.”

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Michelle Keegan, David Dickinson and Ant and Dec recreated a scene from Star Wars while on the show as Louise Redknapp acted in a Pretty Woman scene. Meanwhile, Stephen Tompkinson, Myleene Klass and Hank Osasuna starred in the alternative version of Jaws. Jaime Winston as John Connor and singing legend Rick Astley appeared in Terminator 2.

The news comes as Keith, also known as Leigh Francis, alarmed fans when he shared footage of himself hooked up to an IV drip. He shared the clip as he was on the road with his tour titled My First Time. The video showed a yellow liquid attached to Leigh and he wrote alongside the footage: “Being rebuilt for Thursday gig at @cambridgecornex.” Fans were immediately concerned about the star’s health but he was up and about just hours after the IV. One fan wrote: “Not too sure what’s happening but hope all is good.” And many others asked “Are you Ok?”