Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris return to BBC One screens tonight for the second episode of their new series Road Trippin – however, it may not see past one series.
During episode two, McGuinness and Harris are off to Greece on the island of Ikaria, discovering why one in three of the local residents live well into their 90s.
They head to sea with a 75-year-old fisherman who has no plans to ever retire, keep their brains healthy with a few rounds of backgammon, milk goats and put up fences for a farming family, and test their mettle with rock climbing and surfing.
However, new data has emerged that the series will be axed before the first series ends after the opening show received a flood of backlash from viewers.
Their previous TV show – Top Gear – was taken off air back in December 2022 after Freddie Flintoff suffered a horror crash and nearly died.
The BBC seemingly tried to fill the Sunday night void with the presenters in a “road trip” style show, but didn’t go down well with viewers.
This has prompted bookmakers sportscasting.com to make the new Paddy and Chris Road Tripping show long odds-on to not only move from his prime 8pm Sunday slot but to be axed after this series too.
The show’s odds currently sit at 4/7 to be moved from its present 8pm slot, with its odds of being axed after the current series sitting at 4/11.
However, the odds for the BBC pulling the show before the series ends, have a shocking 2/1 odds, with a spokesperson noting it will never be the same as Top Gear.
Sportscasting.com spokesperson Andy Newton said: “Love it or hate it, I think it’s fair to say BBC’s Top Gear has never quite been the same since Clarkson, Hammond and May left the building.
“And after the new-look show hit the buffers with the Freddie Flintoff accident it might have been better to just send it to the scrap yard.
“However, the BBC is clearly trying to cling onto something by commissioning former Top Gear presenters Paddy McGuiness and Chris Harris to film a new ‘Road Tripping’ style show – which has also been given the old Top Gear 8pm Sunday night slot.
“But the opening show looked to have ‘run out of petrol’ early on with many viewers taking to social media to say how bad it was.
“Therefore, it’s no shock to see the oddsmakers going long odds-on that the ‘Paddy and Chris Road Tripping’ show will be in the ‘pit lane’ after just one series – while if the second show doesn’t get any better, don’t rule out the Beeb pulling it completely.”
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During the first episode – where the pair flew to Sweden – fans were quick to note that the duo presenting the show wasn’t the same without Flintoff.
Taking to X one watcher wrote: “Watching Paddy and Chris Road Tripping and it doesn’t feel right without our Flintoff, totally get why he’s not part of it but doesn’t feel the same without him”.
While another said: “Great to see Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris are on our screens again. I’m just disappointed Freddie Flintoff isn’t with them”.
Others slammed the series commenting: “I’ve just watched half the first episode of Paddy and Chris – if ever the editorial drive of a programme was more ‘we’ve paid for them so we’ve got to do something’. I’d like to not see it. What trash.”
“There’s yet another Paddy McGuinness vehicle on BBC right now, but luckily there’s a new series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on ITV to watch instead,” someone else quipped.
