Survivor ratings stall

There was trouble for the Ular tribe

ITV's desert island reality TV show Survivor pulled in just 4.4 million viewers for its second episode.

According to estimated figures, BBC One's Holby City managed to draw 6.2 million viewers between 2000 and 2100.

Overall ITV had just 21% of the audience when its normal peak-time audience share is 37%.

The heavily promoted game show is shorter, broadcasting 2030-2100 and this episode did not feature continued adventures on the island but an interview with the first evictee Nick Carter.

Falkland's veteran Carter was the first person to be evicted

Carter was voted off the island in Monday's programme, which drew 6.6 million viewers, after fellow members of his Ular tribe accused him of being too dominating.

The interview managed to pull in only a million more viewers than BBC Two's coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show.

Promoted

Producers of the island challenge programme were talking of viewing figures of 10 to 12 million before the series began this week.

Survivor has 16 contestants "marooned" on the island of Pulau Tiga, in the South China Sea.

While surviving without creature comforts, they have to complete a series of tasks and vote off weaker members, until just one survivor remains, who wins £1m.

Survivor is thought to have cost around £10 million to make and has been heavily promoted with a massive poster campaign and brief ads during most ITV breaks.

ITV's last big hit, Popstars, started off with seven million viewers - but grew to 12 million at the end of the series.

The US version of Survivor saw its ratings double in the first three weeks, while Channel 4's Big Brother also took time to build an audience, starting off with 3.6 million and ending with up to 10 million viewers.

The overnight ratings also do not include those who recorded the show for later viewing.

The whole series has already been made, and contestants and crew have been made to sign legal documents stating that they will not reveal what goes on in future episodes.