Michael McIntyre dealt huge blow as The Wheel axed from BBC schedule

The popualr BBC game show has been dropped from the festive schedule (Image: BBC/Hungry Bear/Gary Moyes)

Michael McIntyre has been dealt a blow after his popular weekend game show The Wheel has been removed from the BBC's Christmas Day schedule, according to reports.

The show, which typically airs on Saturdays, features contestants competing for cash prizes with the help of seven celebrities. However, it will not be part of the BBC's Christmas Day lineup.

The final episode of the current series will air sometime in December, though it remains unclear if it will be a regular episode or a special celebrity edition, according to TV Zone.

Meanwhile, the BBC has confirmed a packed Christmas lineup, featuring returning favorites like Gavin & Stacey, Mrs. Brown’s Boys, and a new Wallace & Gromit film, as well as a celebrity version of Gladiators.

While details about the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special remain scarce, the show is expected to pick up five years after Nessa’s (Ruth Jones) proposal to Smithy (James Corden) in the 2019 special.

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Michael McIntyre hosts the series (Image: BBC/Hungry Bear/Gary Moyes)

A new image of the cast has been released, with Mathew Horne and Joanna Page returning as Gavin and Stacey, alongside Corden and Jones.

Fans can also look forward to Wallace and Gromit’s Vengeance Most Fowl, the first new film from the duo since 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death, as well as the return of Mrs. Brown’s Boys.

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Mrs Brown's Boys, one of the most popular festive programmes and a regular feature of the schedules despite being pilloried by many critics, returns with two specials for both Christmas and New Year.

It has seen a number of celebs take part (Image: BBC) window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20241126.min.js" SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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The show, starring Irish comedian Brendan O'Carroll as matriarch Agnes Brown, was first broadcast on BBC One in 2011.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC's chief content officer, said: "No one does Christmas quite like the BBC, and this year we have raised the bar even higher with a cracking line-up that will bring people together across the UK.

"I'm incredibly excited to be showcasing the finest British creativity and welcoming back some of the nation's favourite characters in the last ever episode of Gavin And Stacey and the premiere of Wallace And Gromit's new feature-length adventure."

The Express has reached out to BBC for comment.