Marriage Ref axed after one series

(Getty Images)

'The Marriage Ref' has been axed after just one series.

Bosses of the ITV1 show - which is hosted by Dermot O'Leary and features celebrities giving couples marital advice - had hoped the programme would become a prime-time Saturday night hit, but it never really took off, with ratings falling to just 1.7 million.

Despite TV chiefs moving the series from its prestigious 9pm slot to a later time of 10pm and viewing figures going up slightly, it could not be saved from the axe. A source told The Sun newspaper: "'The Marriage Ref' is definitely not coming back. Ratings were just not strong enough. The figures have to be higher than this for a prime-time Saturday night show to work."

However, the station is "still committed" to Dermot and looking forward to his return on 'The X Factor'. Dermot was thrilled when he was named as the host of 'The Marriage Ref'. He said at the time: "It's a great show and the kind of thing I want to present because it's not your usual show. It's something I'd watch. I'd never do a gameshow. ITV have big plans for it, so fingers crossed."