Ratings blow for Boys and Girls

Ratings blow for Boys and Girls

Vernon Kay presents the show

Chris Evans' latest show, Boys and Girls, has lost out in the battle for Saturday night viewers to all other terrestrial channels.

The Channel 4 programme's debut - billed as the "ultimate battle of the sexes" - drew 1.1 million viewers, which is just 5% of the available audience.

The return of Evans to produce Saturday night prime-time TV even included a cameo appearance.

But the show, presented by Vernon Kay, was mauled by television critics.

And the viewing figures showed it could not compete with Five's CSI Miami and BBC2's Taken, which were both screened at the same time.

Erotic scene

The show features 100 men and 100 women competing for a £100,000 shopping spree.

In one part of the programme, they are voted either "babe" or "minger" by fellow competitors, based on how attractive they look.

Among Saturday's stunts were parents aiming to embarrass their children by appearing naked or re-enacting an erotic scene from the film 9 1/2 Weeks.

Chris Evans hopes to repeat his previous success

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said: "It was a great show. It was the first outing and these things take time.

"You can't judge on just one show."

Thomas Sutcliffe, writing in Monday's Independent, said: "To my mind, nothing can conceal the fact that it's a minger."

And The Guardian's Gareth McLean wrote: "That's entertainment? Only if you're very young, very drunk or harbour an ambition to be a Big Brother housemate."

Evans returned to Saturday nights nine years after the smash hits Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday, although TFI bowed out after ratings eventually fell.