Over Hyped LCD TV not as good as "old style" TV?

Is the penny finally dropping in the celebrity obsessed mind of UK viewers that over hyped LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) TV is in fact Crap with no depth or substance?

We do hope so.

The first episode of Britannia High, ITV1's new youth drama, was thrashed in the ratings battle by the Antiques Roadshow.

Britannia High didn't live up to the hype

Around 3.5 million people tuned in on Sunday night to watch the much-hyped show, less than half the number of viewers who saw the veteran BBC programme.

Britannia High, which has been billed as a cross between Fame and High School Musical, follows six teenagers at a performing arts school.

ITV hopes the heavily advertised programme will draw in a lucrative youth audience, but Antiques Roadshow's cross-generational appeal scored a ratings triumph.

The BBC favourite, which was first broadcast in 1977, has been reinvigorated by new host Fiona Bruce, who was brought in to replace Michael Aspel for the current series.

An ITV spokesman said that Britannia High had made a "solid" start in a "competitive" schedule.

The drama has been launched with a range of multi-media spin-offs - each of the characters have their own pages on social networking websites, and a CD featuring music from the series will hit shops next month. There will also be two DVDs of the show - one out in time for Christmas and another in the New Year.

Britannia High was rumoured to be a reality show in advance of its broadcast, but it is actually an expensively-made drama. The final episode will be a "live" 75-minute contest between the young stars.