ITV’s attempt to make former Doctor Who star David Tennant one of its leading faces has fallen flat, as his latest show turned out to be one of the network’s biggest rating failures in recent years. The 54-year-old actor hosted Genius Game, which reportedly cost ITV over £2.5 million to produce.
David Tennant’s new game show Genius Game is packed with strategy as 11 highly skilled players face off in intense, brain-teasing rounds. Curious to find out who comes out on top? Stream it all now on ITVX! Viewers outside the UK can also watch the show by using a VPN to access. Check out our guide to the best VPNs for ITVX!
However, despite the major investment in the former Time Lord, newly released viewing figures revealed that the show averaged just 739,000 viewers.
Advertisement BBC One’s Race Across the World and Channel 4’s documentary Madeleine McCann: The Unseen Evidence both outperformed the game show on Wednesday. A TV source told The Sun:
The Genius Game was a reflection of ITV’s rush to create the next big challenge show following the huge success of The Traitors. They chose Tennant as he’s such a household name, although his not-insubstantial fee also inflated the cost of making the programme. Yet despite pumping so much money into the show, it hasn’t delivered ratings wise.
The prime-time reality game show features contestants taking on a series of mental challenges. Genius Game debuted with an average of 1.2 million viewers, but that number sharply dropped to 846,000 by the second episode.
This week, ratings fell even further, prompting ITV to reduce the show’s broadcast from two episodes per week to just one. In contrast, BBC One’s Race Across the World, which aired in the same time slot, attracted an average audience of 3.3 million.
An ITV spokesperson noted that Genius Game has gained additional viewers through catch-up on ITVX. They said: “Genius Game remains in the peak schedule on ITV1 at 9pm on Wednesdays and is available to view on ITVX. Episode one (shown on Wednesday, April 30) has so far consolidated with 1.9million viewers. Episode two is currently up to 1.3million.”
This comes after many viewers voiced their confusion over the show during its first episode, calling it “complicated” and struggling to grasp the concept.
Some viewers took to social media to express their concerns, posting on X: “Just starting this. Seems very complicated. I’ll watch it out but not looking good tbh #GeniusGame.”
“Still have no idea how this works #GeniusGame.”
Others shared similar thoughts: “Sorry #GeniusGame it’s a no from me, way too complicated for that time of night, I need mindless entertainment after a busy day, ITV should’ve just extended #CBBUK instead.”
“I didn’t understand the rules fully’ – Most relatable contestant ever.”
“I’m struggling to understand. I’m clearly no genius, the rules on rules on rules are something else #GeniusGame.”
However, not all feedback was negative. One viewer praised the show, writing: “This was a really good premiere of #GeniusGame for ITV. I’m a bit wary that the general public can’t understand the games, but for me, it’s about smart people trying to outsmart their peers. And I loved it.”
Genius Game airs on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
Source: DailyMail