Ratings plunge for Richard and Judy

1:11pm Saturday 11th October 2008

The audience for Richard and Judy's new show fell by nearly half in the second episode, according to the latest figures.

The debut of Richard and Judy's New Position on Tuesday night on Watch, the UKTV digital channel, attracted an average of just over 100,000 viewers.

Wednesday night's 8pm broadcast fell to an average of 53,000 viewers and a peak of 159,000, compared to Tuesday's peak of 200,000.

The 159,000 figure was a peak for the channel for the day.

The catch-up broadcast an hour later on Watch +1 attracted an extra 14,000 viewers, giving the episode an average total of 67,000.

Tuesday's episode pulled in 414,000 viewers when the two repeat showings at 9am and 5pm on Wednesday were included.

A Watch spokeswoman said it was an "excellent start", adding: "We are very proud of the show. It's still early days and we've got some fantastic guests".

Watch is only available on satellite and cable, missing out on the Freeview audience.

Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan moved to UKTV after seven years on Channel 4.

They began their presenting career together on ITV's This Morning, where they remained until 2001 when they were poached by Channel 4 to host their own prime time show.