Just 176,000 tune in

The audience for ad agency sitcom The Persuasionists has plummeted by almost half after the BBC shunted it to a graveyard slot.

Just 176,000 people watched last night’s episode in the 11.20pm post-Newsnight slot, where it was moved with little notice.

Last week, the show attracted 330,000 at 10pm on Wednesday – but when it was dumped for an old rerun of Grumpy Old Women, the audience more than quadrupled to 1.5million.

A repeat of Have I Got News For You will take the slot next week.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘By moving The Persuasionists to a later slot it will still be available to the viewers who are really enjoying it, but gives us room to play something more mainstream in the earlier slot.’

There are two more episodes of the critically savaged show, starring Iain Lee, Adam Buxton, Simon Farnaby, Jarred Christmas and Daisy Haggard, left to air.

Published: 5 Feb 2010