U.K. “Survivor” ends run–barely surviving

A British version of Survivor completed its first series Wednesday night — awarding £1 million ($1.43 million) to a 24-year-old policewoman. The U.K. series had received disastrous ratings throughout its run, a complete reversal of “the program’s unparalleled success in the United States. While a producer of the show had predicted before it went on the air that it would attract 12 million viewers, it was never watched by more than 6.9 million, and one episode drew only 3.4 million. The dismal showing contrasted with the success of Survivor in the U.S. where it attracted audiences rivaling those for the Super Bowl. It also contrasted with the huge success of the British version of Big Brother. (The U.S. version of that program has failed to strike the same sort of chord.)