TOWIE legend Bobby Norris believes the long-running reality show should be axed after viewing figures plummeted.
The popular personality spent nine years on the show between 2012 and 2021 - pulling in 30 times more viewers than the current series.
New figures show just 48,000 people tuned into the series final, compared to 1.5 million at its peak.
It's raised questions whether it should be rested or retired altogether after 34 series.
Speaking to his Access All Areas co-host Ellen Coughlan on Fubar Radio, he said: “I was a little bit sad, because in my day we used to get between 1.5 million and 2 million views an episode.
"So when I saw 48,000 viewers, even though I'm not there, it's sad. I think the legacy is kind of going so downhill now.
"Since the day I left, I've never watched the show, but if you can't even pull in 50,000 viewers, I think, do you know what? Give the show the respect it deserves.
"It’s like having a dog in the corner of the kitchen that's dragging a broken leg, like you would be kind, and you’d take him to the vet and let him go to sleep.”
He continued: “There is a number of people that have gone on to actually still have careers, and thankfully, I'm one of them, but they're few and far between. It just kind of makes me a little bit sad. 48,000 oh gosh, it's less than an Instagram story.”
An ITV spokesperson however insisted that the overnight ratings were far from the full picture as the episodes are uploaded on ITVX before airing on ITVBe.
The rep also claims most fans watch the show on streaming rather than its live broadcast.
They said: "The Only Way Is Essex is one of our most successful reality franchises across ITVX, and the show's performance and popularity is evident in the 8.5 million streams the show has generated across the current series.
"To base the show's success on overnight figures, which account for less than a quarter of the show's total audience, is misleading."
Bobby recently impressed with his determination on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, alongside Love Islanders Ovie Soko and Georgia Harrison, Rachel Johnson and Bianca Gascoigne.
And former co-stars like Gemma Collins, Mark Wright, Ferne McCann and Sam Faiers are all household names with successful careers.
Despite the latest Towie series going out with a whimper, bosses are plotting a Christmas special and are already looking ahead to a new series in 2025.
We revealed this week how show stars like Ella Rae Wise and Amy Childs have been told the programme will return for a 35th series.
Meanwhile, Bobby also spoke about how Towie has evolved over the years and said the latest series lost its magic.
He said: “So I've never bashed the show. I loved my 10 years there - not so much the last series, but I've touched upon that before.
"But I loved every series. The last one wasn't right. It didn't feel fair to me, didn't feel justified for a so-called reality show.”
