Tom Bishop BBC News Online

Vernon Kay presents the show

Nine years after Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, Chris Evans has returned to Saturday night TV to produce Boys and Girls, another raucous gameshow.

Billed as "the ultimate battle of the sexes", it pits 100 men against 100 women for the chance to go on a �100,000 shopping spree.

The ever-grinning Vernon Kay whittles the contestants down to a single Player, who goes mad with the Boys and Girls credit card.

A week later, the Player returns to the studio to explain how he or she spent the money.

Viewers then phone in to grade the shopper as a "winner" or a "waster" - if victorious, they get to keep everything they have bought. Still with me so far?

Confused

Upon this shaky premise sat a whole hour of excruciating Saturday night TV.

After a song and a dance, Vernon inexplicably kicked off with backstage footage of contestants wearing suspenders and pulling condoms over their heads.

Various boys and girls were then voted a "babe" or a "minger" by their fellow competitors, with "babes" winning a holiday while "mingers" died of shame on live TV.

Later the parents of mortified contestants snogged onstage, stripped down to a leopard-print jockstrap or simply walked on naked for no reason at all.

The programme was further padded out by the introduction of "team leaders" Jeremy Edwards and Jade from Big Brother, halfway through the show, and a performance by Dannii Minogue.

Each confusing segment was punctuated by a snatch of music and rapturous cheers from the audience, until the hospitality booze wore off and the go-go dancers were left to clap themselves.

Mess

Somewhere amid the noise we heard how screeching Jo and gormless mockney Simon blew �100,000 on cars, furniture and jewellery they didn't want.

Diehard viewers voted for the gruesome pair to keep everything they had bought, though no-one was asked to explain why.

At the show's climax, Amy from Essex was selected as next week's Player after a series of inane questions ("Would you give up sex or beer?") and a Blind Date-style plea to the crowd.

Was she really then whisked offstage in a golf buggy driven by Chris Evans? Oh yes.

It was a reminder that, while Don't Forget Your Toothbrush was engaging and well-structured fun, this show was just a crass mess.

Vernon and squeaky co-host Orla O'Rourke failed to overcome the impression that they were making up the rules as they went along.

And like an 18-30 holiday crowd half dead with sunstroke, the contestants knew that if they screamed on cue they would eventually get to see a pair of breasts being groped.

This wasn't trash TV, it was just plain scrappy. All the fun of a hangover.