David Walliams has responded to the criticisms levelled against ‘The Nightly Show’, following his week-long stint hosting the first few episodes of the show.
The ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge was mauled by critics and viewers alike for his efforts on ITV’s latest venture, which debuted last week, and he’s now admitted that he wasn’t ready for quite how harsh the reviews would be.
However, when discussing the backlash on Tuesday’s (7 March) ‘BBC Breakfast’, he suggested much of the criticism came from viewers who were annoyed that ITV’s ‘News At 10’ had been pushed from its time slot for ‘The Nightly Show’.
After admitting he hadn’t anticipated how “controversial” the show would prove to be, he said: “I guess… because the ITV news was moved, I think people were comparing it to the news, rather than other entertainment shows.”
He did stick up for the show, though, insisting there was a place for it on UK screens, adding: “I think the problem was, the ITV news was not getting many viewers for ITV, and so they wanted to try something different.
“But because they moved the news, people were sort of angry about that.”
For its second week on the air, John Bishop has taken over as guest host, and while his presenting style was praised by a select handful, the reception to the show itself remained largely negative.
Future shows will see Davina McCall and Gordon Ramsay fronting ‘The Nightly Show’ for a week, while bosses are reportedly hoping to rope in Mel and Sue, in what has been described as a bid to boost ratings.
‘The Nightly Show’ airs weekdays from 10pm on ITV, while ‘BBC Breakfast’ is on weekday mornings from 6am.