What Not To Watch! Trinny and Susannah beaten in TV ratings war

Poached from the BBC amid a fanfare of publicity, Trinny and Susannah were hailed as the inimitable duo to lure viewers in their millions.

Embarrassingly though, the straight-talking fashionistas have been beaten in the ratings war by their two, largely unknown, successors.

So while their debut ITV1 show, Trinny and Susannah Undress, pulled in a respectable 4.1 million viewers - an 18 per cent audience share - on Tuesday night, it lost out to the pair's former BBC1 programme, What Not To Wear.

The BBC show, now hosted by singer Mica Paris and former model Lisa Butcher, averaged 4.2 million viewers and a 20 per cent share of the audience on its first outing last week.

The figures are sure to prove an embarrassment to ITV after it poached Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine last year in a deal reportedly worth £1.2million.

In a blaze of publicity, the pair adorn billboards and posters nationwide, and has completed the usual chatshow rounds, including a high profile Saturday night spot on Michael Parkinson's sofa.

Magazine and newspaper advertisements have also generated Miss Woodall, 41, and 44-year-old Miss Constantine spectacular amounts of publicity.

One such poster displayed on London's underground - which showed the duo covering up naked bodies with their hands - had to be airbrushed to decency after being deemed unsuitable for daytime advertising.

On top of this, the presenters have even launched their own line of slimming underwear, again to coincide with the show's release.

During the new 20-episode series, the acerbic gurus help various couples try and overcome marriage difficulties by giving them a wardrobe overhaul.

In the first show, viewers saw the pair strip naked behind a screen.

Each week, the poor, unhappy couples are encouraged to do likewise.

In contrast, the sixth series of What Not To Wear in which the two relatively low profile presenters give fashion advice to sartorially challenged members of the public, has barely been given any publicity.

Indeed, Miss Paris, 37, and Miss Butcher, whose marriage to fiery celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White, lasted just one day, were reportedly not the BBC's first choice pairing.

Instead, the corporation's executives are said to have approached several other presenters, including Jodie and Jemma Kidd, Nicky Hambleton-Jones and the show's US hosts, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.

But Miss Paris and Miss Butcher, who are far more tactful in their criticism of guests, were widely praised after their first show.

One critic praised their sensitivity - in comparison to Trinny and Susannah - calling their version of the programme a "less gruelling spectacle".

Talking about the inevitable rivalry between the two shows, Miss Woodall recently suggested that What Not To Wear format had become stale, claiming that she and her partner, Miss Constantine, had "moved on".

She said: "We'll definitely be watching. The BBC have been really smart, they've got a couple who are good, old friends.

"That's what made our show different - our friendship - and they've done the same again.

"It's a strong format but we've kind of moved on from that."