So was it a clever bit of media buying that led to Virgin Radio advertising its dire breakfast show in the middle of the first broadcast of Live With ... Christian O'Connell?
After all, given the failure of Chris Moyles' time hosting the show, nothing would have given Virgin greater pleasure than watching their Xfm breakfast DJ rival sink without trace.
But then O'Connell and Moyles are very different people with very different styles - O'Connell is far funnier than Moyles.
Both are pubbish sorts, which seems sensible for hosts of a show hosted above a pub. But O'Connell is the sort of bloke that you'd want to go for a pint with while Moyles comes across as a boorish oaf - the sort you avoid if you see them propping up the bar.
So I welcomed Five's decision to swap the self-obsessed Moyles with the wittier O'Connell. This programme, you might just remember, is Five's attempt to tap that three million-strong disillusioned youth audience which has nothing to watch during the seven o'clock slot. Under Moyles, fewer than a sixth of them bothered tuning in. Noticeably, though, Carling has opted not to renew its sponsorship of the show. As a fan of O'Connell's Xfm breakfast show, I really wanted his transition to the small screen to work. And in many ways it did (given that it was his first time presenting on TV).
O'Connell has a good rapport with the audience but manages to keep them under control, he isn't so self-referential and it would appear that he doesn't need to rely on a script.
There was a look at the news, a new game and even a new host - Jane Sharpe, who presumably had joined in a bid to broaden the show's appeal. The prizes are better than previously (although the questions aren't), but anyone expecting top-notch guests will be disappointed.
It was good to see that many of Chris Evans' influences had disappeared - the irritating "Today, I'm feeling ..." feature with an "amusing" word, the obvious "phroarrrr, we've got an audience of nurses/air hostesses/exotic dancers in the studio" and the recycled jokes from the day's tabloids. While these may have worked on TFI Friday seven years ago, those days are long gone.
The centre-break of the show seemed extremely short with just the two advertisers, the show felt more controlled - even the baying idiots in the audience didn't detract from what was going on.
Given that this was the first show in an eight-week run, I hope it works.
Although Evans can still be a pain in the arse, he was right that, The Simpsons aside, there is nothing on at 7pm that appeals to young audiences.
- Jeremy Lee, ±±¾©Èü³µpk10's media reporter, likes to think he can still be classed as part of a young audience.
Broadcaster: Five
Frequency: Monday to Friday, 7pm to 7.30pm
Audience: 181,000
Advertisers include: Virgin Radio, Wrigleys
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