It looked like the knives were truly out for Mel and Sue ahead of their first episode of the rebooted version of ‘The Generation Game’, but they still managed to pull in a respectable amount of viewers.
As reported by TellyMix, ‘The Generation Game’ managed to pull in 5.2 million viewers on Easter Sunday (1 April), making it the second most-watched show of the night.
Only ‘Countryfile’ (the popularity of which never ceases to surprise us, no matter how many times we’re reminded of it) bagged more viewers on the same night, with 5.9 million people tuning in.
The reboot was generally well-received by both critics and viewers, despite early reports casting doubt on the show’s quality, particularly after the four initially-commissioned episodes were cut down to just two.
In the lead-up to the episode, presenter Sue Perkins hit back at her critics, insisting: “The thing is, ‘The Generation Game’ has had numerous iterations over the years and every time there is a new one, people have kicked off.
“I get that, but at the same time, we are not trying to change it or hurt the brand. We have invested it with the same spirit as some of our favourite episodes, and there was such a feeling of joy about it.”
She added: “The reason we just want two episodes is that we want to get it right, rather than doing 10 shows and learning on the job. We’ll see what people think and also what we can do better.”
The second instalment of Mel and Sue’s ‘Generation Game’ reboot will air on Sunday (8 April) at 8pm on BBC One.