Steph McGovern surprises Simon Rimmer with water pistol
Posting a photo of the pair on set together for his 182,000 Instagram followers, he confessed: “You’ve probably heard that @packedlunchc4 is finishing in December [and] I’m gutted.
“Such a fun show. Superb regional based show,” he wrote proudly, referring to the studio being based in Leeds, rather than London where the bulk of the major programmes are filmed.
“Big love and thanks to you all and especially to my screen wife @stephlunch who makes me laugh (and cry) every day x,” he wrote poignantly.
@brooke.sian lamented in the comments section: “Noooo! Sorry to hear this – loved you 2 together x.” (sic)
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Other fans communicated their disbelief, branding Steph’s Packed Lunch “the best day show by a mile”.
However, despite praising Steph for “creating a show that kickstarted our growth in the north of England”, Channel 4 has still made the decision not to continue with airtime for the show.
The statement made by the channel stated that it was “incredibly proud of all that Steph’s Packed Lunch has achieved since its launch from Steph’s living room during lockdown nearly four years ago.
“We’re so grateful to Steph, Expectation, Can Can and the brilliant production team.
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The statement continued: “Steph has not only made the nation’s lunchtimes more entertaining and brilliantly reflected the views and preoccupations of the country, but the show has also been an outstanding springboard for developing local talent behind the scenes.
“However, with audience habits changing quicker than ever, we have to make difficult decisions about which programmes to invest in to best drive our digital-first strategy, and we have decided not to recommission Steph’s Packed Lunch when its existing production contract ends in December 2023.”
The channel has vowed to reinvest the money currently spent on Steph’s show into more projects outside of London, to balance out the capital’s current dominance.
“We remain as committed as ever to our mission to help level up the TV industry outside London and to our 50 percent origination out of London target,” they explained.
“We will be reinvesting the budget previously committed to Steph’s Packed Lunch into other Nations and Regions productions. We have almost 500 roles outside of London and this will continue to increase over the next few years.
“We will continue to build on the legacy of the show, evolving what we do in line with our digital ambitions whilst continuing to reflect the lives of, and give a voice to, all our audiences across the UK and hope to work with Steph on other projects soon,” they concluded.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Steph’s production companies, Expectation and Can Can, explained that they were “very disappointed” they “don’t get to continue brightening up 12-2 on Channel 4”.
“Leeds didn’t have a live television community four years ago and it’s been a privilege to build a team which boasts some of the brightest, sharpest TV producers in the country.”
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