Cilla Black ended her 18-year stint as the host of ITV's Blind Date with a whimper rather than a bang on Saturday night when fewer than 3 million viewers tuned in - a poor showing compared with the audiences of 17 million that watched the show in its heyday.
Black's ultimate Blind Date had just 2.9 million viewers between 5.30pm and 6.30pm, according to unofficial overnight figures.
The show was relaunched for its 18th series, which began last autumn, with a revamped set and a much harsher treatment of the contestants - the studio audience is now able to express its opinion of the potential dates.
However, the new look has failed to arrest the ratings decline - over the past three years Blind Date's audience has slumped from 10 million viewers to less than half that amount.
The latest series began its autumn run with 5.2 million viewers in October but this fell to just 3.2 million for the celebrity edition on Christmas Day.
Black caused a sensation shortly afterwards when she announced to viewers she was quitting the show on the first ever live edition in January.
Coincidentally, that edition gave Blind Date once of its best audiences of the series - 6.6 million viewers - but the ratings soon slipped back.
The last three editions before Saturday's finale averaged just 3.1 million viewers and a 20% audience share.
Saturday night's show had a higher audience share - 26% - suggesting fewer people than usual were watching TV that evening, probably because of the hot weather.
Despite attracting less than 3 million viewers, Blind Date still proved more popular than BBC1's Ian Wright-fronted entertainment show, I'd Do Anything, which could muster only 2.7 million.
ITV's Stars in Their Eyes Kids Live Final was a ratings winner, pulling in 5.2 million viewers between 6.30pm and 8pm.
It beat BBC1 opposition including the new hidden camera show, Just for Laughs, which had just 3.3 million viewers.
Later on BBC1's new supernatural drama, Strange, was watched by 4.7 million viewers - a quarter of the available audience - between 9.05pm and 10.05pm.
However, it was beaten by ITV's Stars in Their Eyes Kids Final - the Result, which had 6.5 million viewers, and cop drama MIT, which attracted 5 million.
