Beleaguered comedian Ben Elton has hit back at the "glee and delight" of critics who pilloried his new show Live From Planet Earth, which rated poorly in its first outing last Tuesday.



An impassioned Elton called the ABC’s Jon Faine this morning to respond to critics ahead of the second instalment of his show tonight on Channel Nine. It averaged 455,000 viewers last Tuesday.



"I have found it astonishing the feeding frenzy that has gone on this week… I do find it funny that the Australian public plays the ratings game… I think its because the pool is so small we’re trying to defend our own industry but also we’re actually eating it at the same time.



"If numbers are what matter and first-time knee-jerk reactions are what matters, then Hitler stands vindicated.



"I do think this idea that something has to be judged instantly sort of gladiatorial thumb up or thumb down is astonishing. You couldn’t do that to a good album, you couldn’t do that to a good film. And you can’t do that to comedy."



Elton admitted faults with the show’s debut, but insisted he was proud of the programme.



"On the night before (at dress rehearsal), it was wonderful and it was hooting and a hollering and we put some of the bigger stuff in and it turned out to be a bit of a preponderance of rudeness.



"And that’s an editorial mistake for which I genuinely do think I made a mistake and I’m sorry about that. But having said that, none of the rude jokes were actually in any way politically or sexually offensive…



"I hope all my gags are clever, whether they are in the trouser department or in the cerebral department and sometimes those things can be the same thing – there are clever knob gags."



The London-born co-writer of The Young Ones and Blackadder said Live From Planet Earth was currently the only all-live sketch and comedy show in the world, and none of his previous shows had been a hit straight off.



"Nothing is any good after two weeks … from Little Britain to Fawlty Towers, they’ve all taken time."



Elton is aware that his program might get the axe – he offered more repeats of Two And A Half Men as a likely replacement, but he said his show had been supported by Channel Nine, despite the fact that he saw himself as more suited to the ABC.



"They’re actually being great, they’ve said to me: ‘We love the show, we believe in it.’ They attended the dress rehearsal so every sketch that went out they liked."



Elton said the ratings were only "a bit disappointing".



"I never think of target audience, which is why I can say, win or lose, I did my best, I wasn’t a hypocrite I wasn’t trying to please you, I wasn’t trying Mr and Mrs Coonawarra, I was just doing what I thought was great comedy."



Elton called for national broadcasters to "stop killing our own".



"They talk about programming against each other as if there is enough talent in Australia and enough good shows for us to be killing. There’s plenty of talent but there aren’t enough opportunities for them."



He called the situation for local artists "desperately depressing" because if shows like his are not nurtured, "in the long run it will just mean more imports and the quality of American television is so technically high that it’s always going to be easier and cheaper to bring in American stuff than to make our own."



Elton, married to Australian Sophie Gare and settled in Fremantle, insists his show will find an audience if given time.



"I do what I think is good and I really do believe Live From Planet Earth is good and if people give it a chance they’re going to have a really good time with it."



He turned to Shakespeare to end his radio rant.



"In the long run, yes I accept criticism, but I continue to do what I think is right. Listen to Polonius in Hamlet: ‘Above all, to thine own self be true’ – don’t read the ratings!"



With that, the sitcom writer, novelist, stand-up comedian and show-maker left the airwaves, returning to work on a Shane Warne sketch for tonight’s programme.