BBC ratings hit Only Connect pushed back for Simply Nigella’s ‘egg on warm lettuce’

'If you can work out what time Only Connect is on tonight, that's half the battle,' said host Victoria Coren

The BBC’s fiendishly-difficult quiz show Only Connect has seen a growing cult following of late, its ratings having grown from 285,000 when it began as a BBC4 obscurity to 2.9m once it made it to BBC2, very recently overtaking its time-slot rival on BBC1.

Fans were a little confused then, when the show was bumped out of its usual slot this month for Simply Nigella, which most recently saw her place a fried egg on top of half a lettuce and call it a dish.

“Still p*ssed off Only Connect has been bumped to an hour earlier for Nigella and her f*cking avocados on toast,” one viewer complained on Twitter, the re-scheduling upsetting the University Challenge/Only Connect double bill.

Even presenter Victoria Coren was confused, tweeting: Next week, I'm told, Only Connect moves to 7.30pm. Then at Christmas it moves back to 8.30. As if the show weren't baffling enough already,’ and then later: ‘PUZZLE FANS! Have the clocks gone back again? If you can work out what time Only Connect is on tonight, that's half the battle.

At the start of the month, the confusion caused the show’s audience to drop from 2.3 million to 1.7 million.