Ben Elton’s return to TV comedy has been a ratings failure.

At the start of last night’s Get A Grip show, 2.1million people were tuned to ITV1. By the end, more than a third had switched off – leaving just 1.3million viewers – a mere seven per cent of the total audience.

The 10pm Wednesday night timeslot normally attracts an average of 3.5 million viewers to ITV1.

But the disappointing performance of Get A Grip, which also features Popworld host Alexa Chung, put the mainstream channel behind both BBC Two’s Apprentice spin-off You’re Fired! (1.8million viewers) and Desperate Housewives on Channel 4 (2.2million).

The show – the first TV project that Elton has fronted in 12 years – attracted 2.1million viewers when in debuted on April 4, but it has never since matched that figure.

Earlier last night, Shazia Mirza’s BBC Three show Fuck Off, I'm a Hairy Woman was seen by 238,000 viewers.