Cue play on "now or never"

There are some very rum goings-on at ITV at the moment. On top of drama costs being slashed, ITV1’s big new Saturday night variety extravaganza, It’s Now or Never, was last week cancelled after just one showing, with the second and final episode replaced by a repeat of It’ll Be Alright on the Night. And not just any edition — it was the one compiled to offer part of ITV’s 50th anniversary celebrations, which only served to highlight the poor quality of the current network offerings compared to their predecessors.

Now, I was one of the (admittedly small) number of people watching It’s Now or Never last week, and I have to say it was an enjoyable show. Or rather, it was an enjoyable half-hour show unbearably stretched out to twice that length. A faster-paced, 30 minute show would maybe have gone down better. If an hour was required, then two people’s stories could have been covered in the same programme.

It’s worth noting that ITV’s move compensates for just one hour of broadcast television. Moving so suddenly may have helped them recoup a small number of Saturday night viewers, but at the same time it highlights just how jittery Network Centre is at the moment, despite Simon Shaps’ apparent confidence. At a time where ITV chief executive Charles Allen says that he’s ‘considering his position’ (and investors, while not quite throwing him out of the door, are at least holding it open for him), it’s hard to see how running a repeat of a show which the new regime had previously put to sleep is going to brink back the confidence that ITV needs — both within itself, and from its advertisers and investors.