David Jason's sitcom loses 4m viewers

David Jason’s sitcom The Royal Bodyguard has taken another slump in the ratings, down to 2.9million viewers.

It means the show has lost nearly more than 4million since it debuted on Boxing Day, when 7.1 million tuned in – a festive-season figure that was always going to be hard to match.

Last week, it fell to 4.5million, before last night’s disappointing figures, which represent less than 12 per cent of the viewers at the time.

Despite starring such an acclaimed comic actor, the show, which has three more episodes to run, has been critically panned.

The Sunday Mirror’s Kevin O'Sullivan said Jason was lumbered with ‘dire material’.

Before The Royal Bodyguard launched, Jason said there was ‘room for this old- fashioned, timeless style’ of sitcom, as he criticised modern comedies that set out to push boundaries or denigrated their targets.

Published: 10 Jan 2012