Rik Mayall's sitcom reunion with TV hitmakers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran has proved a ratings flop.
The second episode of Believe Nothing, in which Mayall plays a brilliant but bored Oxford professor called Adonis Cnut, was watched by just 2.3m viewers on Sunday night.
It was 600,000 down on its debut the previous week, and was watched by just over one in 10 viewers at that time. More than twice as many people tuned in to the Ten O'Clock News on BBC1.
Believe Nothing is the first time Mayall has worked with Mr Marks and Mr Gran since his breakthrough mainstream hit playing Alan B'stard in The New Statesman, which ran on ITV until 1993.
The 10pm Sunday night slot is a tough slot for new comedies although it is not because there is not an available audience. An episode of Midsomer Murders recently pulled in more than 8m viewers.
In the past it was different - the 10pm Sunday slot proved a happy home for satirical ITV shows such as The New Statesman and Spitting Image.
But Believe Nothing, launched in the middle of the summer schedule, has struggled against the juggernaut of Big Brother, which attracts more than 5 million viewers to Channel 4 in the same Sunday slot.
Sitcoms traditionally take more than one series to absorb the audience and the pressure on ITV for instant hits is one of the reasons why it has continually failed to rival the BBC's long-running sitcoms.
But the network could also face criticism for squandering Believe Nothing in the difficult late night Sunday slot.
Mr Marks and Mr Gran are the comedy duo behind a string of the nation's favourite sitcoms, including Birds Of A Feather, Goodnight Sweetheart, Shine On Harvey Moon and the Adam Faith drama, Love Hurts. The pair sold their Alomo production company for £8m.
ITV had high hopes for Believe Nothing, a political satire described by one TV reviewer as "Bottom meets B'stard".
It certainly offers plenty of material for die-hard Mayall fans, with typical Cnut (pronounced "Canute") lines such as: "My sperm bank wants another deposit, but I'm not sure if I can give a toss."
Despite its low ratings, the sitcom - scheduled to run for six episodes - enjoyed some favourable reviews in the press.
The Telegraph said it had "some genuinely funny lines and a consistent air of insanity," The Mirror's Jim Shelley said it made him laugh after a "hellish" first five minutes, while the Daily Mail said Mayall was "on excellent form".
However, the Sunday Times said it "may struggle to hold a sizeable adult audience... but children will love it".
Other characters include love interest Dr Hannah Awkward and Cnut's butler, called Albumen. The series will feature special guest appearances by Rory Bremner and Melvyn Bragg.
Talking on the eve of the show, Mr Marks said: "Everyone we ask agrees to be in it because it could be a cult show. You can imagine kids at university going up to the bar on a Sunday night to watch it."