Simon Cowell has launched an astonishing attack on one of his own shows, admitting that the critics were right to have 'slaughtered' Grease is the Word.

He has conceded that it is far too similar to his other shows, particularly The X Factor.

Grease is the Word is made by Cowell's production company but has been criticised for its similarity to the BBC1 shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do.

The show, which goes out on ITV on Saturday nights, is a search for two performers to fill the shoes of Sandy and Danny for a forthcoming West End production of the musical.

Cowell said: 'Grease is the Word is not going as well as I had hoped.

'It has been slaughtered by the critics and rightly so. It is far too similar to our other formats.'

He compared the failure of the show, which is presented by Zoe Ball and includes David Gest and Eighties pop star Sinitta among its judges, with another of his productions, a dating programme called Cupid which flopped in the U.S.

However, these are rare blips for Cowell who, it was revealed earlier this week, has doubled his vast fortune to £200million after selling another of his TV shows around the world.

America's Got Talent is to be broadcast in 40 countries, including Russia, Greece, Israel and Kazakhstan.

Jon Snow has launched a scathing attack on the trend for TV companies to fly news presenters abroad simply to read an autocue.

The Channel 4 News presenter says that sending broadcasters out to anchor the news from the location of big events often adds very little to the experience for viewers, but had become 'fashionable'.

This week the BBC has had Jane Hill and Huw Edwards presenting the news from Praia da Luz, while ITV had Mark Austin fronting both of ITV's main bulletins from the Portuguese town where Madeleine McCann was abducted.

Snow told the trade magazine Broadcast: 'Being seen to be there does not equate to journalism. All too often the autocue has merely been taken to the event and the newsreader does little more than tinker with the words and read them.'