ITV has no current plans for a second series of Olivia Attwood's reality show The Heat after the programme was reportedly axed following one run. The cooking-and-dating format, which paired Attwood with celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, debuted in February and has now been left in limbo.
The update matters because the series was not a slow-burn project. It ran for ten episodes, and the broadcaster has now made clear there is no immediate follow-up, even though the first series remains available on ITVX. For viewers searching for pete wicks-style reality TV noise with a dating twist, The Heat offered exactly that kind of mix: 10 young chefs living and working together in Port Vell Marina, with eliminations every week and romances and tensions building alongside the food.
Attwood had sold the format as something new for ITV2 and ITVX, calling it a pinch-me moment to host such a fresh show. Novelli also backed it publicly, saying he was thrilled to help spotlight the next generation of culinary talent and promising to push the contestants to prove they had what it took. But the numbers were weak. The show reportedly averaged just 72,000 viewers per episode, which makes ITV's decision easier to understand even if the broadcaster has stopped short of spelling out a formal cancellation.
That distinction is where the friction sits. ITV says there are no current plans for a second series, not that the door is definitively locked, and that leaves The Heat in a holding pattern rather than neatly wrapped up. The uncertainty is sharper because Attwood's other ITV2 project, Bad Boyfriends, has already been renewed for a third series, and she remains a regular panellist on Loose Women. One show is being given more time. The other is waiting for someone at ITV to decide whether one series was enough.
For now, the answer appears to be yes. The Heat has one series, ten episodes and no clear next step, which is usually what a quiet end looks like on television before the network says so out loud.
