Last night’s TV election debate drew smaller audience than a documentary about a vet
The ITV debate featuring five party leaders was less popular than The Supervet on Channel 4
A CHANNEL 4 show about a vet’s practice drew a bigger audience than the first TV debate of the Election campaign, it emerged today.
The ITV ‘Leaders Debate’ drew an average audience of just 1.6million on Thursday – below the 1.62million who tuned in for The Supervet.
EastEnders spin off ‘Kat and Alfie: Redwater’ hit 4.2million on BBC 1.
And viewing figures out this morning show that nearly a third of the ITV audience had switched off by the end of the two hour special – which featured the Lib Dem chief Tim Farron, UKIP’s Paul Nuttall, Caroline Lucas of the Greens, as well as Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP and Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood.
Some 2.12million were watching at the start – but it fell to a low of 1.52million with five minutes to go.
The biggest moment of the ITV debate came when UKIP leader Paul Nuttall mistakenly called Leanne Wood “Natalie” twice.
During the two-hour debate Lib Dem chief Tim Farron repeated his pledge to hold a second EU Referendum on the terms of Britain’s Brexit deal – and to give voters a fresh chance to remain in the bloc.
Mr Nuttall was attacked over Brexit by each of the four other leaders on the stage.
Ms Sturgeon described the UKIP chief as a “spokesperson” for the Prime Minister.
When Mr Nuttall said sky-high immigration was adding a city the size of Birmingham to the country every three years, Tim Farron cut in “immigration – that’s your answer to everything”.
Leanne Wood began the night by tearing into the Prime Minister for failing to turn up. She stormed: “You may be too scared to come here for your u-turns to be highlighted, for your cruel policies to be exposed
“I hope all of us here will show you tonight that real leadership is being willing to defend what you stand for.”