21 August 2023 , 10:18
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Television presenter Michael Underwood has confessed he is devastated by the news that ITV has decided to axe their dedicated children’s channel after the outlet helped launch his career.
The 47-year-old was a presenter on CITV between 2002 and 2003 and says he has fond memories of appearing on the network. But those memories are now bittersweet for the married father-of-two as he learned that ITV have binned off the free-to-air children's television channel after 17 years of service.
ITV made the announcement on Friday that CITV would be cancelled as a full channel - but will be relaunched as a streaming-only children’s content provider - with the move coming into effect in “early autumn”. Taking to social media on Monday, Michael shared his sadness about the news.
Sharing his thoughts via X - the social media service formerly known as Twitter - the presenter said he was thinking of his time on the channel. He wrote: “So #CITV is closing on 1st Sept.
Michael Underwood is sad to see CITV go (Rex Features)“I suppose it was inevitable, but that doesn't make it any less sad. I had so many memorable moments on @ChildrensITV and was fortunate enough to present on the legendary #JungleRun. It was easily one the best experiences I had on children's TV.”
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Michael’s post was met with similar warm memories from fans with many bombarding him with questions about his time working on the network. One asked where the CITV studios were, and he replied: “It was filmed on an old RAF base in Nottinghamshire. All created inside one massive aircraft hangar. It took three months to build.”
Another recalled a show called Eliminator that Michael hosted, and asked why the series never returned. Michael informed his follower: “This was a good show. The only reason it didn't get a third series was because the Head of Children's at the time wasn't keen on Q&A shows.”
On Friday, ITV shared news of their decision to axe CITV. They explained in a statement: “The CITV channel is set to close in early autumn after the launch of a new ‘dedicated destination for kids’ on its streaming service ITVX.”
And another statement declared: “ITV today announces the launch of a new dedicated destination for kids on ITVX - ITVX Kids - with more content than ever before, across a range of titles appealing to both school age and pre-school age children. Launching in July 2023, and rolling out across the school summer holiday period, the new consolidated children’s offering will also see ITV taking its approach to 6-12s content, streaming-only, from early Autumn 2023.”
Craig Morris, Managing Editor of ITVX said: “We’re really excited to launch this dedicated destination for kids on ITVX, which will be home to a wealth of content including new series, recognisable brands and existing favourites for a range of ages, all in one child-safe area, with editorial curation to guide viewing. The wealth of content will be available to stream for free, with the option for parents to choose ad free viewing, through a subscription to ITVX Premium.”