Walk the Line attracted only 3 million viewers for its hyped launch episode on Sunday night
![Simon Cowell’s new show beaten in ratings by Only Connect](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f3f8470aff290b89b509c26bfd88f3378521bbd4/0_182_5472_3283/master/5472.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=42227ea6091d2e917ea69bc59e1fdcb4)
It was billed as the programme that would revive Simon Cowell’s fortunes – but his new primetime television format, Walk the Line, has instead been comprehensively beaten in the ratings by the high-brow quizshow Only Connect.
The new ITV show began its six-night run on Sunday night, in the hope that the format could bring back the success of his now defunct The X-Factor. Instead, Walk the Line’s ratings have fallen off a cliff as Cowell struggled to recapture the combination of emotional backstory, audience excitement and musical appeal that gave him two decades of television success.