Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc have pulled out of presenting ‘The Nightly Show’.
The former ‘Great British Bake Off’ presenters had discussions with producers about taking over the late-night entertainment show, which is hosted by different people every week, but have withdrawn because they were unable to make their schedules work.
The pair said in a statement: "We were approached to take part in the series however, due to our busy schedule we were unable to make the dates work. We do wish the team all the best with the remainder of the series."
It was initially thought the duo may have pulled out from presenting the show after it failed to pull in viewers on its first week and was slammed with heavy criticism.
A spokesperson for the ITV said: "Mel and Sue were never signed to present The Nightly Show. The production team undertook discussions with them about the possibility of presenting a week but due to their hectic schedule this wasn’t possible."
The opening episode was hosted by David Walliams and managed to pull in an impressive 2.9 million viewers but it dropped to just 1.2 million the following week.
John Bishop has taken over the hosting duties this week and went to extreme lengths beforehand to ensure his stint wouldn’t be a total flop with viewers.
The comedian made a surprise appearance at the Old Rope comedy night in the basement of The Phoenix Pub in London on Monday (07.03.17) to rehearse his jokes.
At just £6-a-ticket, around 60 punters were hoping to see upcoming comedians take to the stage but instead they were treated to a sketch from the Scouser – who usually plays to packed arena crowds with tickets selling for £28-£45 each.
An onlooker said: "He snuck in right after the show started and he was on his own. I couldn’t believe it. He looked nervous and told everyone, ‘I’ve got a lot of dog material to try because it’s Crufts this week’. He looked a little underwhelmed by the reaction, embarrassed even."
Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc pull out of The Nightly Show
