Television viewers have reacted angrily to news that a New Zealand version of Come Dine With Me will premiere next Monday night, hosted by comedian Guy Williams.
The Eyeworks-produced series will screen at 7pm on TV3, taking the prime time slot previously held by Campbell Live until two weeks ago. It is scheduled to run for eight weeks.
Under a Facebook post by TV3, fans vented their anger at the news.
"Awesome ... we get a vey unfunny moron fronting a crap reality show to replace a true journalist whose show made a real difference to so many people's lives ... congratulations TV3 I did not think you could stoop any lower," wrote one commentator.
"Literally no, anyone but Guy narrating," wrote another.
Twitter users also voiced disappointment.
Williams defended his hosting role on Twitter, saying the show wasn't intended to replace Campbell Live.
It's understood the series was originally slated for next year but production was brought forward to fill the void left by Campbell's cancellation.
Old episodes of Road Cops have been screening in the interim, leading to a social media backlash, which has seen viewers poke fun at the broadcaster using the hashtag #allcopsallthetime.
On Tuesday nights, TV3's line-up features Road Cops, followed by All New Road Cops, followed by Gold Coast Cops.
The line-up change saw a significant drop in ratings last week with 49 per cent of Campbell Live's final week audience dropping off, according to Throng.co.nz.
However, Throng founder Regan Cunliffe points out, "last week still rated higher than Campbell Live's worst for this year."
Meanwhile, TVNZ's Seven Sharp appears to have picked up former Campbell Live viewers, experiencing the best week of ratings its ever had, according to Throng.
"The average audience of 541,602 was up 21% on the previous week, 15% on 2014 and 39% on 2013."
It also surpassed the 600,000 viewer mark for the first time last week.
MediaWorks is now pinning its hopes on the popular British format to win back viewers.
Come Dine With Me is a reality cooking competition that pits five guests against one another as they compete to host the best dinner party.
Each night, a different contestant cooks a three-course meal, before they are judged on their cooking and hosting abilities. The contestant with the highest score wins a cash prize of $2000.
Guy Williams will take on the role of narrator - made famous by Dave Lamb in the British version, who revels in the contestants' kitchen calamities and social faux pas.
• Read more: Top ten dinner party dishes
According to a MediaWorks release: "Week one features Monika, a Slovakian child carer, who's all about silly with a side of spice; Tony, an eccentric real estate agent with some cutting critiques and a few 'endearing quirks'; Hinemoa, a part-time tattooist and full-time eyebrow enthusiast; motor-bike riding, insurance broker Kyle; and stylish yoga enthusiast Sarah."
• Will you be watching? Join the conversation below.
- nzherald.co.nz
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