Olivier Awards ITV backlash as fans angry at 'shameful' coverage as repeats dominate schedule
Theatre fans hoping that they'd finally get to watch live coverage of the Olivier Awards this year have hit out at ITV, as repeats dominated the Sunday night schedule instead.
For years now, ITV has aired highlights of the biggest night in British theatre, while other large scale events like the Brits have aired live, while the BBC always screens both the BAFTA film and TV awards. Rather than air live coverage of the Oliviers 2024, ITV kicked off its Sunday night schedule with a repeat of The Chase: Celebrity Special and a past episode of Tipping Point: Lucky Stars.
While those were airing, the Oliviers were in full flow at the Royal Albert Hall, but the only way fans in the UK and Ireland could follow the results, including early wins for the likes of Innocence and Mark Gattiss, was to keep an eye on the Awards' official account on X, as they were informed that the highlights would air on ITV at 10.10pm, after The Chase, Tipping Point, the new series of Midsomer Murders and a news update.
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And it didn't take long for complaints to flood in on social media. Taking to X to hit out at both ITV and the Olivier Awards for not making a live stream available to watch in the UK, one unimpressed theatre goer fumed: "Quietly furious that I can't watch live. Or the whole ceremony. Will have to watch highlights tomorrow. When I'll know all the winners. Ridiculous," as a second wrote: "Instead of celebrating an industry which delivers so much, ITV have scheduled Tipping Point. Shameful."
As wins also came for Vanya and Sarah Snook, a third critic complained: "#ITV has scheduled: The Chase,Tipping Point, Midsomer Murders. Then at 22:15 up past midnight we get the highlights of the #OlivierAwards. However my friends in Europe, US & AU can watch the entire thing LIVE! This is an industry that provides BILLIONS to the economy! Scandal!"