ITV’s new series The Games is unlikely to break any records, leaving viewers switching off after featuring just six minutes of live competition during the first show.
Originally airing on Channel 4 from 2003 to 2006, it has 12 celebrities including model Phoenix Gulzar-Brown, 23 and singer Max George, 33, competing and promised “a range of sporting challenges across a week of live shows”.
Monday opening night, hosted by Holly Willoughby, 41, and Freddie Flintoff, 44, ran for 90 minutes.
But that included two live events – the women’s 100m hurdles won by singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes in a segment lasting two minutes and 56 seconds and the men’s 400m won by Love Islander Wes Nelson, 24, in three minutes and four seconds of content.
Thankfully there were some other events which were pre-recorded in the form of the men’s hammer and mixed synchronised diving springboard.
But these lasted six and seven minutes of the show respectively – meaning the total sporting competition on the opening night was just 19 minutes.
For comparison, advert breaks made up around 21 minutes and much of the rest was studio conversation and training footage.
Perhaps unsurprisingly some fans were disappointed with what they saw and gave up on the programme before it had finished.
Viewer Gillian Shiels said: “Too much boring chat, 35 minutes in and only seen one event that lasted less than a minute. Back to Netflix.”
Dan Collins said: “I imagine the ratings will plummet after tonight.
“How can they justify putting this on for 1hr 30mins? Hideous TV.” Jon Ettey said: “Just bring back Superstars”
Attracting 2.1 million viewers, the show ended with Wes topping the men’s leaderboard with 10 points, followed by dancer Kevin Clifton, 39, on nine and the women’s leaderboard had 30-year-old Chelcee, top with six.
As well as live coverage of the events, each episode did say it would feature “the celebrities’ preparation as they’re taught the sports from scratch”.
On Monday’s show studio guests included boxing champ Tyson Fury who Holly playfully put into a headlock.
The six male and six female competitors were continuing to battle it out last night in the athletics arena, the swimming pool, gymnasium and velodrome.
An ITV spokesman said: “The Games kicked off with a packed show that introduced our twelve celebrity athletes, who we saw competing, plus insight from legends Tyson Fury and Denise Lewis.
“The competition builds across this week with more events, plus more appearances from sport icons.”
