Former Blind Date presenter Cilla Black is returning to Living even though her last appearance on the satellite channel attracted just 220,000 viewers.
Sources say Black has agreed to make another show for Living, which has raised its profile - and boosted its ratings by 60% year on year - by screening popular US imports such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
The legendary Liverpudlian entertainer regularly pulled in 18 million viewers on Saturday nights on ITV1 but her return to television last Christmas was something of a disappointment in ratings terms.
Satellite show Cilla Live was Black's first major presenting role since she sensationally quit Blind Date live on air two years ago, although she made guest appearances on BBC1's short-lived Johnny and Denise - Passport to Paradise.
Living bosses billed Cilla Live as a "two-hour entertainment extravaganza" and the "biggest entertainment show on multichannel TV".
It pulled in just 220,000 viewers - beaten by a repeat of Bruce Willis action movie Die Hard 2, which attracted 700,000 viewers to ITV2 - but gave the channel plenty of publicity.
Cilla Live was a significant investment for the Living. It featured a mix of Surprise Surprise-style family reunions, matchmaking reminiscent of Blind Date, makeovers and live music. Friends of Black, such as Paul O'Grady and Sir Cliff Richard, also made guest appearances.
It is not yet known when Black's next outing on Living will air or what the format will be. Robert Willis, Black's son and spokesman, declined to comment.
A Living spokeswoman said: "I can't confirm or deny anything at this stage but our plan has always been to work with Cilla again."
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