Sara Cox new music show has flopped on Friday after just 700,000 viewers turned on to see the first episode of Born Sloppy on Channel 4.
The late-night programme, designed to attract the post-pub viewer at 11.05pm, couldn't even compete with Channel 5, which pulled in 800,000 viewers for its movie, The Corporate Ladder - described by Radio Times as "an erotic thriller".
But there were few thrills in Cox's show, also presented by former RI:SE star Colin Murray.
More than a million viewers who had been watching a repeat of last year's Trigger Happy TV Christmas special switched off Channel 4 when Born Sloppy came on, although the show still just managed to beat the first half-hour of Later ... With Jools Holland on BBC2. Some would have defected to the irreverent Jonathan Ross chat show on BBC2, which featured the self-confessed Mr Vain, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Melinda Messenger and Sir David Attenborough.
Born Sloppy is Channel 4's first major live entertainment show since Chris Evans' TFI Friday was axed at the end of 2000.
It is being made by Evans' former sidekick, Will MacDonald, and his former producer, David Granger, through their new independent production company, Monkey.
But the viewing figures will come as a disappointment for Channel 4 - TFI was an instant hit when it launched in 1997.
Channel 4 put in a better performance earlier in the evening, with 3.1 million people tuning in to watch the traditional cliff-hanger in the final episode of the latest series of Friends.
The Osbournes also continues to perform well, attracting 2.7 million and a 13% share.
Over on BBC1, Fame Academy put on more than a million viewers since the previous Friday as the reality TV contest nears its climax.
A total of 6.3 million viewers watched the remaining four students perform live on stage, giving BBC1 a 29% share and easily beating You've Been Framed and the action comedy True Lies on ITV1.
Have I Got News for You also did well despite the wooden performance of its latest guest presenter Liza Tarbuck. It pulled in 6.2 million viewers.
ITV1's PopStars: the Rivals is still winning the reality TV battle, managing 6.8 million viewers in its 7.30pm slot on Saturday night.
But BBC1 scored better in the ratings, with Casualty attracting 7.7 million people to give it a 34% share.
Later on Saturday, the third and final episode of BBC1's Andrew Davies-scripted costume drama Daniel Deronda lost almost a million viewers to finish on a flat note with 4.6 million and a 21% share.
It was easily beaten by Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ITV with 6.6 million and by ITV's Record of the Year 2002, which also attracted 6.6 million viewers.
Channel 5's Saturday line-up of US drama continues to prove popular, with Crime Scene Investigates pulling in 2.4 million viewers and easily beating the movie version of Jane Austen's Emma on Channel 4 (1.3 million).
Law and Order, immediately after CSI at 10pm, attracted a very respectable 1.9 million viewers while The Shield, at 11pm, attracted 900,000.
