I hope these ratings were emailed straight across to Mr Cowell first thing. Cor I'd have loved to have been a fly on that wall.

I don't really take much notice of Casualty, but that figure seems very low.

Although to be fair, that wasn't strictly the final last night (though note your inverted commas). The Radio Times has only listed tonight's show as the final, whilst the billing for last night says "only two acts will proceed to tomorrow's final" (so last night's elimination not as unexpected as some were making out).


Incidentally, that's 2 newspapers now who've mentioned next year's X Factor extending by 4 contestants and 1 month. Would it not be a shrewd move by ITV to expand the series across Christmas and have the final in the middle of January?

This would also give us our Christmas no.1 back (or have it replaced by the X Factor finalists murdering another pop classic for char-i-dee.)

Strictly is about a million down on last week

What is the gap between SCD & TXF's semi final shows this year, compared with last year?

I still think 12.4m is still a good figure though..considering nothing else come close last night..Wow I feel really dirty defending the X Factor...lol

And so you should feel dirty.

I've said before (sort of) that this thread makes too much of the overnights. Just because someone watches via timeshift doesn't make them any less of a viewer - although they might be to a commercial TV company, depending what percentage skips the adverts and are, thus, no use to the advertisers. (I know my family skip them.)

However, these days, overnights do take predominance when reporting viewing figures. Fact of life, George. And such has been the hype over X Factor that you can't blame those of us who get annoyed by that hype to take our pleasures where we can get it.

What we could do with is BARB utilising imodern technology to find out exactly how many different individuals watch any episode of any TV programme whether live, by timeshift, via internet or whatever.

Of course, any programme could get 20m viewers if you repeat it often enough. I'll wager there's a few episodes of Only Fools And Horse that are close to acheiving that figure for GOLD.

..gets in shower for a good ole scrubbin!!!!...

Why was the figure for Mr Eleven so low? It was actually not bad.

I think that's one song, plus the winners song. Then they'll be the usual performance from the rejects, a group performance from the final 12 (I think two would be an idea - one original, and a reprise of the charity single), then the closing performance by the winner - plus at least one guest. Alexandra is on The Xtra Factor too so perhaps she'll get some stage time too.


Disappointing figure perhaps, but it was always going to be tonight that got the bigger figure - and I think it'll still hit 15m or so quite easily. Won't get the 20m figure - but we all knew that would never happen.

Also love how those making excuses are forgetting that just like Halloween and Bonfire Night a few weeks back, Christmas isn't a new thing either and ratings for all previous finals would have been affected in much the same way.


Anyway - random thought I had this week - we know that give or take a few million the number of people watching TV most nights is around 25m. So what's the other 40m+ up too then?

Previews in the press weren't brilliant. Maybe people were unimpressed by the trailer or the plot synopsis. Or maybe it was an unfriendly slot, despite the Corrie lead-in.

There are plenty of programmes on TV that get rave reviews but poor ratings.

And all sorts of factors will come into play when it comes to whether a brand new programme starts with a high audience or a low one.

Watching last night and there were no Christmas songs which appear in all the finals so perhaps Olly and Joe will sing one each or maybe the group performances will be Christmassy.

As to the people not watching tele, firstly there is the radio, then the internet, then under 8s who will probably be in bed, some people will be reading and thats before you take into account all those people who are out. Howver I do see what you are saying at its height total viewing is rarely above 30m even for event TV.

might not have helped that it was over a year old

Also regardless of quality scheduling the two parts a week apart didn't help matters either - should have waited until a two-hour slot came along, or been shown over consecutive nights.

I recorded TXF as watched on time delay - I skipped through most of the filler, adverts also of course - I was surprised to see a BMW ad - not an Iceland advert in sight though lol.

I predicted an overnight peak of 16-17million for the Sunday finale but with such a long show can see the average being less. It is the nations most watched show but still the minority of people out of 60,000,000 choose to watch it.

In all a pretty substandard (in quality) series but if it stops ITV bosses bleating about the BBC then it has been worthwhile.

SPOTY has its own share of filler tonight, so will record both maybe and speed through the slow bits.... can't say either result will be a big shock though

Its not going to timeshift over 7 million though. Even if the final tonight gets 15 million its not going timeshift 5 million. Or are you saying that with repeats and other showings it will rech 20m?

I don't think anyone on this thread really expected 20 million for last night. So I'd be wondering if someone was a BBC "fan" if they went with that number.

And of course people are looking for reasons. This thread would be pointless if the ratings were just accepted to be some sort of random draw. The biggest show on TV just averaged 2m less for its final than expected. There has to be some sort of reason (I find some ideas offered by "impartial" FM's to be a bit out there and perhaps wishful thinking).I don't think many (or any) people seriously went with the idea that the 20m was meant to be the 2 peaks combined (a more likely explanation was media outlets liking a nice big round number! Sounds better than 18m anyway).

Tonights ratings will be interesting because they will reveal whether or not the 2 night format was the problem. The issue is obviously specific to the final. A visitor to the thread might be left with the impression that the entire series has been a total ratings disaster! Whatever the issue is, it has only appeared last night and it has made a significant difference. I'm sticking with dull finalists. Even Danyl divided the audience a bit which would be good.

I was actually of the feeling that tonights show would miss having the top 3 result which would have filled some time, given it some structure and placed some "action" at the start rather than just the guests. 2 hours should still be fairly easy to fill (Idol manages 2 hours when the voting is closed!) but it won't be as good and it could drag a bit, IMO. I don't think moving the top 3 result to last night has helped anyway!

20m would have always been the peak anyway. Nobody would have expected it to average that so all this talk of time-shifting is pointless.

Paul McCartney, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke and JLS are all plugging their new singles tonight, there will be the Finalists performance (again) and the rejects song. Olly and Joe sing the Winner's song and then there is the crowning ceremony. Plus probably a huge "reminder" of all the action from last night - again! If piling on ex-contestants and a beatle does the trick, Cowell will be laughing tonight.

Ouch! 12.4m.

TXF 0.8m down on the equivalent performance show last year, the first time it has seen such a year on year loss.

My prediction for tonight- 16.09m.

Another miserable set of figures for SCD, the first show is 1.8m down on last years semi-final. The highest year on year chasm so far this series.

Is 4.2m the biggest gap between TXF and SCD, ever?

I'm so chuffed that Merlin stayed over 5 million, having its time changed every week. It was such a good episode hopefully people will stay with it to see the final next week even though it's even earlier.

20 million for X Factor was always hype wasn't it. And with another 2 hours tonight it feels like tonight is the final not last night really.

The X Factor final show tonight is likely to just edge below 14 million. Will not get over it as the hype isn't there and the ratings haven't indicated anything out of the ordinary. Last nights ratings actually paint a lack of interest tbh.

They only have SPOTY tonight as a threat but it may prove more difficult to X Factor than people are expecting.

Yes I agree. A Stacey vs Joe Finale would have got a lot more people talking about it.

Joe will win so there is no point i

Theres a whole lot of drama on this thread - but its not the sort of drama I was expecting this morning.

It is a surprise to see the rating down year-on-year - but we're not comparing like with like. The final is Sunday this year. It's definately also not helping that the final contestants are so bland - one's an average version of Will Young, the others a nice, meek lad who can belt out showtunes. Decent singers - but rubbish for soap opera purposes when compared to the characters they've lost over the past month or so. That might stop people sitting through a 4 hour weekend marathon of them - but it probably won't stop people tuning in to see the result of the show they've been watching for 4 months.

I still think tonights could average as high as 16m-plus and peak at similar levels to the Britains Got Talent finale. If it doesn't, then I'll be surprised - but its hardly going to affect its chances of a recommission, is it?!

Does it really matter how high the TXF figures are?

I'm not sure the powers at ITV mind, given they've pre-sold the majority of media spots at higher than normal rates when Jedward & the press were creating the illusion that 20 million was going to be easily achieved.

Given this and the additional 24 hours of phone revenues every weekend, am more than sure Cowell and co are well pleased with the extra $$$ dosh this year.