Slow start for 'Friday Night Project'

Channel 4's new Friday night entertainment show got off to a mediocre - if not, disappointing - start yesterday, according to early ratings data.

The Friday Night Project, hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr, drew an average of 1.51 million viewers and an 8.6% share of the audience between 10pm and 11.10pm. The numbers are down slightly on the 1.81 million (10.4%) who tuned in for Ricky Gervais' standup show Animals during the same period one week earlier.

"It was embarrassingly awful," said one poster on the Digital Spy Forums. "Appallingly scripted, false and forced, and a deeper plunge into the depths of moronic lad culture."

Another added: "It's horrible. Whoever thought of this should be fired."

Elsewhere, a double-bill of The Simpsons brought in a respectable 2.44 million (10.9%) in the 9pm hour. ITV1's repeat of A Touch of Frost pulled in the most punters, however, with an average of 5.83 million (26.5%) between 8.30pm and 10.30pm.

Over on multichannel, American Idol continued to draw huge numbers for ITV2. The final stage of the first round auditions entertained an average of 969,000 viewers (a 6.7% multichannel share) from 8.30pm. A peak of 1.15 million (8.4%) came at 10pm. Also faring well was original series Jordan and Peter: Laid Bare, which averaged 471,000 (4.3%) at 10.15pm.

Overall during primetime, ITV1 was on top with an average share of 30.5%, comfortably leading BBC One's 21.9%. BBC Two held 12.1% for third, followed by Channel 4 on 6.8% and Five with 5.0%.