After just one series, The Real Housewives of London is now being considered for a potential merger with another long-running British reality favourite, sparking speculation across the franchise’s dedicated fanbase.

The newest addition to the global Real Housewives universe premiered on Hayu earlier this year as the second UK instalment, following ITVBe’s The Real Housewives of Cheshire, which has been running since 2015 and remains one of the channel’s strongest unscripted titles (source: The Guardian).

The London series introduced viewers to the glamorous lives of Juliet Angus, Amanda Cronin, Karen Loderick-Peace, Juliet Mayhew, Panthea Parker and Nessie Welschinger. Meanwhile, the Cheshire cast — including long-standing personalities Dawn Ward and Lauren Simon — have achieved significant recognition and built loyal followings over nearly a decade (source: ITV / The Independent).

A potential crossover in the works

In an unexpected development, both programmes may soon be united in a crossover format, bringing London’s elite together with Cheshire’s established northern stars. According to The Mirror, the idea is being explored by the production company behind both shows, which is reportedly assessing viewer appetite and logistical feasibility.

An insider told The Sun:
“Hardcore reality fans aren’t welded to one particular Housewives franchise and love the mess, b******* and glamour the whole brand represents. In real life, many of the cast of Cheshire and London know each other casually and it would be so easy for the northern ladies to attend an event featured on London or vice versa.” They added that the concept remains “in its infancy.”

Industry analysts have pointed out that crossover specials have proved successful in other territories. In the U.S., Bravo previously attempted multi-city events and spin-offs such as Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, which drew strong streaming numbers on Peacock (source: Variety). This may be motivating producers to explore similar opportunities within the UK market.

A dramatic first-season reunion

The news also follows the explosive reunion episode of The Real Housewives of London, hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan. According to Ryan, who was heavily pregnant at the time, the tension escalated beyond what she expected.
“It was really explosive. These women did not hold back… There were a lot of tears. There was screaming. Production had to come out,” she said, noting that some clashes were so severe that even she — a seasoned live performer — “just had to sit and wait for production to deal with it.”

Multiple entertainment outlets described the reunion as one of the most turbulent in the UK franchise’s history (source: People Magazine), further boosting online discussion and raising the show’s visibility across social media.

A rapidly expanding global franchise

The Real Housewives franchise first launched in 2006 with The Real Housewives of Orange County before expanding to iconic American cities including New York, Atlanta, Miami and Beverly Hills. In recent years, it has grown globally with popular editions in Dubai, Australia, Johannesburg and Canada (source: Deadline).

The potential merging of the London and Cheshire casts would mark a first for the UK branch of the franchise — and could signal a broader shift toward interconnected storylines, a strategy increasingly favoured by reality TV producers seeking to boost engagement.

For now, producers insist that the idea remains exploratory, but fans from both regions are already debating which housewives would clash, who would dominate the screen, and whether the combined format could become one of the UK’s biggest unscripted hits.