‘The Nightly Show’ will never replace the ‘News At 10’ again, according to ITV boss Kevin Lygo.
The channel exec admitted the comedy chat show didn’t really work when it aired for eight weeks earlier this year.
However, he has claimed the show could return in a later slot - but only if significant changes are made first.
Asked at the Edinburgh TV Festival if there were plans to bring the programme back, Kevin said (via Radio Times): “Certainly not at 10 o’clock. The challenge is can it work for us later, that sort of thing. I don’t know.”
He continued: “Did it work? Not really. There’s a million reasons [why]. With hindsight, a different host every week made it very difficult for the production team.
“The theory was that if you build the show there would be these fun people you would slot in each week. What happened of course, on week four you’d have a new host who would come on and say ‘I’m not doing that’ and you’d have to reinvent the show.
“Ten o’clock maybe was too early, particularly for ITV. Maybe it was a bit of a shock [for viewers].”
The series was hosted by the likes of Dermot O’Leary, David Walliams, Davina McCall, Gordon Ramsay and Jason Manford, who all received varying reviews for their time in the hot seat.
Critics mauled the format though, with the mix of comedy and chat failing to go down well.
Amanda Holden previously told HuffPost UK that ITV should have handed two females a slot, putting herself and fellow ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge Alesha Dixon forward.
Here’s 14 other stars who could sit in the hot seat if it returns:
Throughout his tenure on 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks', Simon sent up whichever stars crossed his path, no matter how high-profile, and while he's devoted himself to writing and stand-up in recent years, he'd be the perfect if ITV want to bring a bit of edge to series two of 'The Nightly Show'.
A singer like Lily Allen would be a great celeb to take a chance on for five nights of 'The Nightly Show', especially as she's got no qualms about speaking her opinion, no matter the topic.
Even if they deliver a joke that doesn't land, the two somehow manage to pull it off, which 'The Nightly Show' could definitely have done with during its first run.
Mel and Sue were among the initial rumoured guest hosts of the ITV topical show, but ultimately couldn't make it work due to 'scheduling conflicts', so let's hope they can get their diaries straight second time around.
The unlikely duo are able to brighten up even the drabbest of mornings, and given Rylan's already got late-night talk show experience, we think having Alison at his side could only make him even stronger.
True, we can't exactly imagine them lampooning the political news of the day or giving a serious piece to camera, but you know there'd be laughs aplenty (which were arguably lacking from the first series).
While Alesha's presenting history might be a bit ropey, we'd put that down to the quality of shows like 'Dance Dance Dance' and 'Your Face Looks Familiar' rather than her own abilities as a TV personality.
Watching her in interviews, Alesha is constantly chatty, articulate and opinionated, and we can imagine her being a great host if she had the chance.
While their co-presenting efforts are mostly restrained to awards shows, we do think they'd bring a young edge to 'The Nightly Show'.
Whenever Miriam makes a talk show appearance (usually 'The Graham Norton Show'), it is always a riot, so there would be guaranteed laughs.
The 'Mighty Boosh' star's sense of humour isn't for everyone, but given that 'The Nightly Show' wasn't exactly pulling in viewers in their droves, why not take a risk and go with someone as left-field as Noel?
Plus, he's about to bag a whole load of new fans, thanks to his upcoming stint on 'Great British Bake Off'.
With stars like Michaela - who's already proved her writing chops in the past two series of 'Chewing Gum', as well as her delivery - that risk is eliminated.
Plus, 'The Nightly Show' could potentially be a great place to showcase rising stars in the comedy world, rather than just already-established names.
We reckon Will's unique outlook would definitely make for an interesting spin on the week's big news stories, though admittedly the jury's out on how well he'd manage steering an interview.
Give her a week on 'The Nightly Show', and we reckon Joanna could truly shine - she's hilarious, she's informed and she's not afraid to get stuck in.
Given the right platform, we think the always-opinionated TV personality could really offer a fresh take on the week's news, and if the BBC were willing to loosen those golden handcuffs of theirs for just five nights, 'The Nightly Show' could be the place for him to do it.