Entertainment Reviews TV/Radio slots

ITV’s Splash! – Impressive Ratings Despite a Dunking by Critics (BBC 5 Live)

Love it or hate it, there is no arguing with the viewing figures. ITV’s new Saturday primetime show Splash! is clearly a huge hit with the young audience its aimed at. But as for the grown-ups (and especially those who use twitter) it was a drowned turkey!

I was on BBC 5 Live following the show’s launch, joined by Edwina Currie (NOT a fan of Splash!), discussing the show and it was incredible just how many listeners called in with hugely varying opinions.

However, the Splash! audience figure speaks for itself – 6.5million. Most new launches consider 3.5 million a really good rating, so Splash! must be doing something right.

Perhaps it was the ‘heart in the mouth’ dive (and great fun) we got from Omid Djalili, or the eye-candy.. thanks to some very figure-hugging bikinis and swimming trunks (Tom Daley is a huge hit with the young’uns – male and female).

The truth is, it was pretty abysmally produced – full of padding out and a bit of stretch to watch all the way through. However, if you are a under 14, it was riveting fun… Yes, some of it is just ridiculously silly but following the Olympics, kids are enjoying watching sport much more – especially sports such as diving with its young Brit hero Tom Daley as its mascot.

Children up and down the UK were undoubtledly heading to the local swimming baths on Sunday morning, excited to give diving a try and at the very least to get in a pool and have some fun.

The viewing figures may well drop next week but who knows? Splash! could be a surprise hit and so watch and see as much higher profile celebs fast-crawl it to be on the next series…