Madam, – Shane Hegarty wrote that "TV3 has simply backed off on Friday nights" (Life & Culture, October 21st). He obviously failed to notice the successful launch of Take Me Outthe previous Friday. While an Irish dating show might not float his boat, it has captured a big audience up against the RTÉ Nine O'Clock Newsand the opening half-hour of The Late Late. With an average audience of 339,000 viewers it had a higher average audience of adults aged under 35 than The Late Late Show(132,000 v 128,000 for The Late Late), and a higher average audience of women under-45 years of age (131,000 v 126,000).
And, of course, Take Me Outis provided to viewers free – without recourse to a licence fee. I hope he enjoys it! – Yours, etc,