Romesh Ranganathan’s new ITV show Parents Evening frustrates viewers after first episode

‘It’s annoying,’ one viewer claimed

Romesh Ranganathan’s new game show Parents Evening has been criticised by viewers after its first episode aired on ITV.

The new series sees celebrities compete in family duos with Alison Hammond and her son Aidan, Carol Vorderman and her son Cameron and Iain Stirling and his mum Alison playing on the launch episode on Saturday, 2 November.

As part of the show, the praise had to guess how many questions the other could answer correctly.

However, Ranganathan was quickly criticised for allowing the prompts to disappear from the screen too fast with many viewers left frustrated as the questions’ quick disappearance prevented them from being able to play along with the game at home.

Writing on X/Twitter, one person said: “Keep the questions on screen!... need Romesh and contestants faces in mini screen shots at bottom of screen [to] allow questions [to] stay on screen longer, too many cut aways from main question options hint hint series 2 changes.”

Another viewer added: “Quiz shows are usually about letting the home viewer guest the answers but in this case the questions weren’t on screen long enough for us to have a go.”

Meanwhile, another fan defended the format, writing: “Yeah, the questions should stay on screen somehow and it’s annoying that they don’t - but they can fix that. I like the format and it all works otherwise. So far, so good.”

Elsewhere on the programme, viewers were shocked and entertained by Hammond’s minimal faith in her son Aiden, who she shares with her ex-husband Noureddine Boufaied, to get the questions right.

Viewers dubbed the This Morning presenter as “ruthless”, with one person writing: “Alison basically saying her son doesn’t know any of the answers has me cackling.“Alison Hammond is savage,” another person added.

Ranganathan’s new game show comes shortly after the comedian said last month that he came “very close” to taking his own life.

Romesh Ranganathan on ‘The Weakest Link’ (BBC/Alan Peebles)

Speaking to The Times the comedian said:  “On more than one occasion, I have felt suicidal.

“Somebody told me it was ideation. I used to fantasise about it. I’d be feeling so stressed out. The idea of those feelings disappearing felt tempting. The best way I can describe it is it felt like I was about to book a great holiday and I wouldn’t feel like this any more.”

“I’m not thinking about taking my life at the moment but I know that if I didn’t look after myself in the right way, it’s something I could go back to,” he added.

“Having suicidal thoughts is a bit like being an ex-smoker and knowing you can have a cigarette. There’s always a danger that you can go back. It’s never going to completely go.”