Now, that's what you call a blooming good Saturday night line up. Starting with a comedy classic and ending with a movie premiere! I remember watching Tremors back then and thinking it was brilliant. Makes today's schedules look pretty lacklustre doesn't it.
It's a brilliant schedule! And yeah todays schedules seem dull. It's packed full of entertainment which is what you want for a Saturday night.
What I noticed from the ratings is that the first half of the evening (approx 17:30-19:00) belonged to ITV with shows like Blind Date, Gladiators and Catchphrase getting 11m+ ratings and then the rest of the night belonged to BBC 1. Seems like a different world.
I agree Tumble is just dull and repetitive which is disappointing as I like gymnastics. It has the feel of DOI rather than Strictly. I don't think enough emphasis is made on the presenter of the shows these days. Alex is just not good enough. Brucie was gold dust for kicking Strictly off even if he was a little laboured toward the end. I suspect Strictly will take a dive this year with the support act getting the gig. Ant and Dec were key to kicking off the talent shows on ITV with Pop Idol and the sucess of IACGMOH is purely down to them. Add on Graham Norton for the Lloyd Webber shows. These presenters bring a heart to the show. Can do humour and improvise so easily. I do think though that BBC is more interested these days in diversity so at least one box needs to be ticked - female/gay/ethnic minority rather than talent!
I agree. Graham Norton made the ALW shows easy to watch and he adapted his wit to the show to interact with the judges. He made it look easy. Alex Jones us a presenter who is mediocre and not suited to Saturday night entertainment. I feel nervous for her in case she makes another mistake. It is laboursome to watch. IMO she has been promoted way beyond her capability.
I agree. Graham Norton made the ALW shows easy to watch and he adapted his wit to the show to interact with the judges. He made it look easy. Alex Jones us a presenter who is mediocre and not suited to Saturday night entertainment. I feel nervous for her in case she makes another mistake. It is laboursome to watch. IMO she has been promoted way beyond her capability.
Totally agree,you actually begin to feel sorry for her in getting involved in this rubbish.
That must be one of the most depressing, dark, misery-filled kind of drama I've seen in ages. Looks gritty, poor lighting, shaking camera effect, no soul, no comedy.This is definitely going to rate badly, it doesnt have the mainstream qualities a drama should have to maximise ratings. A definite flop, if I ever saw one.
Lots of nice lighting, excellent scenery, cute animals, comedy, period setting. With the GBBO lead-in, Our Zoo will definitely be a hit without a shadow of a doubt. It ticks lots of the boxes a mainstream drama should have and historically dramas like this one have normally found a strong audience. This wont have heaps of promotion but mark my words, it will be the best rating new drama series of the Autumn.
I suppose pointing out all the dark dramas that have had excellent ratings or all the fluffy dramas that have flopped wont change your mind.
I suppose pointing out all the dark dramas that have had excellent ratings or all the fluffy dramas that have flopped wont change your mind.
Statistically speaking, dark dramas generally have a lower ratings threshold compared to 'lighter' dramas of the same genre. Obviously there are some exceptions to the rule but that is the general trend.
Here's a few BBC 1 Saturday night schedules from Novemeber and December 1992. Stonking ratings for Casualty! Ratings come from
Saturday 14 November 1992
17:20 Dad’s Army 10.49m
17:50 Big Break 12.13m
18:20 Noel’s House Party 13.80m
19:15 The Generation Game 10.75m
20:15 Casualty 16.21mThe Stage Archive (which is blooming brilliant for old ratings).
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 11.12m
21:05 Blind Date 10.40m
Saturday 21 November 1992
17:20 Dad’s Army 10.50m
17:50 Big Break 12.20m
18:20 Noel’s House Party 13.63m
19:15 The Generation Game 11.17m
20:15 Casualty 16.10m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 11.17m
21:25 High Spirits 10.35m
Saturday 28 November 1992
17:20 Dad’s Army 9.76m
17:50 Big Break 11.03m
18:20 Noel’s House Party 13.16m
19:15 The Generation Game 11.70m
20:15 Casualty 14.77m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 12.26m
21:25 Tremors 13.28m
Saturday 5 December 1992
17:20 Dad’s Army 10.74m
17:50 Big Break 11.42m
18:20 Noel’s House Party 13.16m
19:15 The Generation Game 11.61m
20:15 Casualty 16.64m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 11.24m
21:25 Weekend at Bernie’s 9.44m
Saturday 19 December 1992
17:20 Dad’s Army 9.41m
17:50 Big Break 10.98m
18:20 Noel’s House Party 15.56m
19:15 The Generation Game 14.66m
20:15 Casualty 16.27m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 10.24m
21:30 Midnight Run 8.59m
Got some more from 1993
Saturday 2 January 1993
17:30 The Generation Game 11.48m
18:30 Noel’s House Party 15.45m
19:25 Paul Daniels Magic Show 12.17m
20:15 Casualty 13.54m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 9.91m
21:30 We’re No Angels 9.10m
Saturday 9 January 1993
17:30 Dad’s Army 8.21m
18:00 That’s Showbusiness 9.19m
18:30 Noel’s House Party 13.20m
19:25 Paul Daniels Magic Show 8.91m
20:15 Casualty 15.47m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 11.74m
21:30 Memories of Murder 9.24m
Saturday 16 January 1993
17:30 Dad’s Army 9.67m
18:00 That’s Showbusiness 10.37m
18:30 Noel’s House Party 13.58m
19:25 Paul Daniels Magic Show 9.70m
20:15 Casualty 14.40m
21:05 News, Sport and Weather 11.86m
21:30 Parenthood 11.31m
Saturday 23 January 1993
17:35 That’s Showbusiness 8.99m
18:05 Noel’s House Party 12.85m
19:00 Paul Daniels Magic Show 8.72m
19:50 Casualty 14.97m
20:40 Birds of a Feather 13.16m
21:10 News, Sport and Weather 11.20
Saturday 30 January 1993
17:35 That’s Showbusiness 8.82m
18:05 Noel’s House Party 12.73m
19:00 Paul Daniels Magic Show 8.31m
19:50 Casualty 15.88m
20:40 Birds of a Feather 13.36m
21:10 News, Sport and Weather 9.93m
21:35 That’s Life 9.75m
Saturday 27 February 1993
18:05 Noel’s House Party 12.72m
19:00 Paul Daniels Magic Show 9.30m
19:50 Auntie’s Bloomers 14.67m
20:40 Birds of a Feather 13.49m
21:10 News, Sport and Weather 11.69m
21:35 Casualty 17.02m
22:25 That’s Life 8.16m
Thanks for these.
Some stonking figures, Casualty ranges from 13.54 to 17.02-no doubt we would have been discussing the reasons for the fluctuations.
Paul Daniels nearing the end of his long primetime BBC career(1979-1994) no longer a ratings magnet, but good ratings for Gen Game, Noel, Big Break(highly polished show imo from the theme tune to the end credits-should come back) and BOAF.
Once again fascinating period stuff.
I agree. Graham Norton made the ALW shows easy to watch and he adapted his wit to the show to interact with the judges. He made it look easy. Alex Jones us a presenter who is mediocre and not suited to Saturday night entertainment. I feel nervous for her in case she makes another mistake. It is laboursome to watch. IMO she has been promoted way beyond her capability.
Graham Norton was just made for live tv, some people are. Noel Edmonds was the same(most of his career has been live radio/tv), Sir Bruce too.
Alex is workmanlike, or perhaps workwomanlike, Either way its not the same.
Thanks for those 92/93 ratings! The standout is of course Casualty, with 17m for that notorious episode where the department got burned down by rioters. Interesting to see it scheduled at a relatively early time of 7.50pm for some of those weeks (the final episode was moved to 9.35 at the last minute). This was after it had been screened post-watershed for several years, and there was already some discussion about whether the storylines and gore were suitable for 8 o'clock on a Saturday night.
Some stonking figures, Casualty ranges from 13.54 to 17.02-no doubt we would have been discussing the reasons for the fluctuations.
Paul Daniels nearing the end of his long primetime BBC career(1979-1994) no longer a ratings magnet, but good ratings for Gen Game, Noel, Big Break(highly polished show imo from the theme tune to the end credits-should come back) and BOAF.
Once again fascinating period stuff.
Big Break was a great show actually. I'm not a fan of Jim Davidson but that show worked really well.
Statistically speaking, dark dramas generally have a lower ratings threshold compared to 'lighter' dramas of the same genre. Obviously there are some exceptions to the rule but that is the general trend.
You keep saying that but I have not seen any evidence.
Graham Norton was just made for live tv, some people are. Noel Edmonds was the same(most of his career has been live radio/tv), Sir Bruce too.
Alex is workmanlike, or perhaps workwomanlike, Either way its not the same.
I agree she is wokmanlike but no more so than most of the present LE presenters IMO. Which is why I dont understand the bile thats aimed just at her.
I remember seeing a schedule posted up on here a while ago which showed a Saturday night on BBC One years ago and one thing that really stood out was that the schedule was packed full of shows, but they ran for 40-50 minutes. I think Tumble is dull but one thing they could do to improve it is to cut the run time to 50 minutes so the pace of the programme is punchy and quick.
X Factor and Strictly get away with longer shows as they are now established hits, and so they are confident that audiences will stick around until the end. Plus the 'filler' in these shows are more engaging and entertaining. I think it's a big ask to get audiences to stick with a new show like Tumble for 90 minutes. They should have done a short run time and then slowly extended the running time if the show was a hit.
Strictly a few years back got it wrong in terms of show length and suffered. The VT'S are a drag now as they are so hyped up on shows like Tumble. Cut them down - quicken up. I didn't bother with DOI this year but I had been watching on sky+ for a few years. You could cut so much out. Apart from adverts and competitions it was the OTT Schofe VT's claiming it was a matter of life or death! How long were strictly shows in first series?
That must be one of the most depressing, dark, misery-filled kind of drama I've seen in ages. Looks gritty, poor lighting, shaking camera effect, no soul, no comedy.This is definitely going to rate badly, it doesnt have the mainstream qualities a drama should have to maximise ratings. A definite flop, if I ever saw one.
Lots of nice lighting, excellent scenery, cute animals, comedy, period setting. With the GBBO lead-in, Our Zoo will definitely be a hit without a shadow of a doubt. It ticks lots of the boxes a mainstream drama should have and historically dramas like this one have normally found a strong audience. This wont have heaps of promotion but mark my words, it will be the best rating new drama series of the Autumn.
I do agree Samuel that Chasing Shadows does indeed look depressing, and the trailer is quite grim. However it also looks intriguing and as a viewer I'm curious to know what it's about so all in all it's quite a clever promotion. Plus it's got Alex Kingston in it! It depends where it is scheduled I guess but I don't detect a big flop out of it. It'll do well enough.
I do agree Samuel that Chasing Shadows does indeed look depressing, and the trailer is quite grim. However it also looks intriguing and as a viewer I'm curious to know what it's about so all in all it's quite a clever promotion. Plus it's got Alex Kingston in it! It depends where it is scheduled I guess but I don't detect a big flop out of it. It'll do well enough.
I dont think it's clever promotion tbh. I think the traditional Itv drama viewer [oap-crime loving viewer] will not be too impressed by that trailer. It wont do well. No Itv midweek drama in the last 7 years has rated well without the Coro oap-boosting lead-in. Chasing Shadows most certainly wont be the one to change that 7 year trend.
Thanks for the 1992/93 ratings, lewie. The Birds of a Feather episodes were repeats. I think they were being shown for the third time.
As Chris says, that was the penultimate series of The Paul Daniels Magic Show, although they revamped it as Secrets for Christmas 1994 and autumn 1995.
Steven Moffat tells the Sunday Express Peter Capaldi may be the last Dr Who.Moffat says he is already writing the next series.
Steven Moffat has no control over the ownership of Doctor Who. He does not 'own' the copyright so can not decide whether the show will end or not. He can decide to leave as showrunner so that the BBC can continue the show if they want to. It may be that Peter Capaldi may be the last Doctor under his tenure. It is arrogant of a showrunner, regardless of who it is, to make any definitive statement about the future of the programme.
Comments
It's a brilliant schedule! And yeah todays schedules seem dull. It's packed full of entertainment which is what you want for a Saturday night.
What I noticed from the ratings is that the first half of the evening (approx 17:30-19:00) belonged to ITV with shows like Blind Date, Gladiators and Catchphrase getting 11m+ ratings and then the rest of the night belonged to BBC 1. Seems like a different world.
I agree. Graham Norton made the ALW shows easy to watch and he adapted his wit to the show to interact with the judges. He made it look easy. Alex Jones us a presenter who is mediocre and not suited to Saturday night entertainment. I feel nervous for her in case she makes another mistake. It is laboursome to watch. IMO she has been promoted way beyond her capability.
Totally agree,you actually begin to feel sorry for her in getting involved in this rubbish.
I suppose pointing out all the dark dramas that have had excellent ratings or all the fluffy dramas that have flopped wont change your mind.
Thanks for these.
Some stonking figures, Casualty ranges from 13.54 to 17.02-no doubt we would have been discussing the reasons for the fluctuations.
Paul Daniels nearing the end of his long primetime BBC career(1979-1994) no longer a ratings magnet, but good ratings for Gen Game, Noel, Big Break(highly polished show imo from the theme tune to the end credits-should come back) and BOAF.
Once again fascinating period stuff.
Graham Norton was just made for live tv, some people are. Noel Edmonds was the same(most of his career has been live radio/tv), Sir Bruce too.
Alex is workmanlike, or perhaps workwomanlike, Either way its not the same.
Big Break was a great show actually. I'm not a fan of Jim Davidson but that show worked really well.
You keep saying that but I have not seen any evidence.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-whos-jenna-louise-coleman-quits-4061757
Its not a surprise - in new who the companions dont stay around too long. A pity though as she is one of the best.
I agree she is wokmanlike but no more so than most of the present LE presenters IMO. Which is why I dont understand the bile thats aimed just at her.
Strictly a few years back got it wrong in terms of show length and suffered. The VT'S are a drag now as they are so hyped up on shows like Tumble. Cut them down - quicken up. I didn't bother with DOI this year but I had been watching on sky+ for a few years. You could cut so much out. Apart from adverts and competitions it was the OTT Schofe VT's claiming it was a matter of life or death! How long were strictly shows in first series?
I'm sure he said the same for The Widower and look what happened. The final episode touched 8m. That was a dark drama.
Of course Our Zoo will do well, but Chasing Shadows will too. The Fall is another successful dark drama, The Shadow Line.
I do agree Samuel that Chasing Shadows does indeed look depressing, and the trailer is quite grim. However it also looks intriguing and as a viewer I'm curious to know what it's about so all in all it's quite a clever promotion. Plus it's got Alex Kingston in it! It depends where it is scheduled I guess but I don't detect a big flop out of it. It'll do well enough.
"Bile" is a bit strong-none from me in the direction of Alex.
The Fall was dark but had mainstream elements to it. The Shadow Line rated badly from what I remember, though very well critically.
I dont think it's clever promotion tbh. I think the traditional Itv drama viewer [oap-crime loving viewer] will not be too impressed by that trailer. It wont do well. No Itv midweek drama in the last 7 years has rated well without the Coro oap-boosting lead-in. Chasing Shadows most certainly wont be the one to change that 7 year trend.
As Chris says, that was the penultimate series of The Paul Daniels Magic Show, although they revamped it as Secrets for Christmas 1994 and autumn 1995.
A report jam-packed full of weasel words though, the reporter is really hedging his bets, so he won't be wrong if it's not Christmas.
And the reporter couldn't even et her name right - she is now Jenna Coleman (as of June 2013).
Which could mean that he sees no reason why PC would leave the role any time soon?
Steven Moffat has no control over the ownership of Doctor Who. He does not 'own' the copyright so can not decide whether the show will end or not. He can decide to leave as showrunner so that the BBC can continue the show if they want to. It may be that Peter Capaldi may be the last Doctor under his tenure. It is arrogant of a showrunner, regardless of who it is, to make any definitive statement about the future of the programme.
It was not aimed specifically at you but there has been a lot of posters having a go for a long time.