ITV's Pickard attacks his own "poxy" shows

ITV's director of programmes has launched an astonishing attack on two of his own shows.

Speaking to the Media Guardian, Nigel Pickard attempted to defend claims that ITV's strategy - and credibility - was being undermined by flop reality shows.

"What ITV is surprised about is the disproportionate amount of attention being given to Celebrity Love Island," he told the website. "It is only a half-hour show a night, most nights, on a 24-hour channel.

"Second, the press seemed to expect it would something massive like I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!. We never claimed that."

He then added: "Celebrity Wrestling - I pulled it. My God, so ITV's credibility is undermined by two poxy shows! We commission 4,000 shows a year, and we have two shows collapse in the most competitive television marketplace - of 400 channels - ever!"

A spokeswoman for the network later clarified that the two poxy shows in question were in fact Celebrity Wrestling and Celebrity Stitch-Up, and not Celebrity Love Island.