ITV made a huge gamble by launching a brand new late night chat show – and it seems it might not have paid off yet.
The broadcaster debuted The Nightly Show on Monday, with guest host David Walliams presenting a mix of topical comedy and celebrity interviews.
The show is airing daily at 10pm, with ITV pushing the news back until 10.30pm.
While late night shows are less of a cultural institution here than they are in the US, it seems The Nightly Show might not be winning over many fans for now.
Viewers were quick to share their views on the first episode, and they didn’t hold back.
One dubbed it ‘awful TV’, while another labelled it ‘dire’ and said they ‘switched off after ten minutes’.
Some even demanded that the news come back.
There were a few people who seemed to like the first episode though, with one calling it ‘refreshing’.
The first show featured guests Martin Clunes and Nina Conti, while Walliams starred in sketches sending up the mix-ups at this year's Oscars ceremony.
While the episode wasn’t necessarily a hit, it was a ratings success airing in a slot straight after the new series of Broadchurch.
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The episode pulled in 2.9 million viewers on the night – an increase of 17% on the average News at Ten figures.
The future of the Nightly Show remains to be seen – will audience be forgiving and allow time for it to settle in? The rotating guest hosts could also prove a deciding factor – with John Bishop set to take over next week.
ITV, 10pm
