I said I'd only do it if I could bring you in as my spin doctor

See this...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/ne...at-return.html


I wonder if that will provide any sort of boost for the concert when it goes head-to-head on Children-In-Need Eve against 3 of ITV1's highest rated programmes.

I guess the fact that the concert is on TV a week after taking part rather than live counts against it.

Thats only really correct. They could have easily found another show to put at 10pm instead of Dasies. The reason was cost driven. ITV wants to end primetime at 10pm despite the news being not really popular on Fridays (BBC 10pm News often struggles to get close to 4m on Fridays)

Wasn't David Liddiment in charge when they axed News at Ten and started to over-schedule Millionaire?

He was also the guy who dropped Blind Date from the Saturday night schedule and replaced it with premiership highlights.

So that proves Robbie's point.


...because he took one of ITV's biggest programmes of the last 15 years, something which would thrash all BBC opposition, and turned it into a nothing that gets less viewers than University Challenge and Hole In The Wall.

Does the Royal Variety suffer from being shown days or weeks after taking place?

I think a family pop concert is a perfect complementary schedule to ITV's mundane offering of soap, soap and z-lebs in bikinis eating worms and kangaroo testicles.

This thread would be all the poorer without comments like this!

By the way-Strictlys Blackpool jaunt was fabulous, they really should go on the road more.

And ever since that day BBC news has been ahead.

I think The X Factor will get a major boost tonight with Strictly overlapping for only 15 minutes. Plus, it has 8 out of the top 10 Twitter 'trends', a new record for the show.

Yes I just noticed that on Twitter. It should do better than last week anyway.

A shame ITV didn't have Ghostbusters scheduled straight after too!

I notice that next Saturday Strictly starts at 6.50pm which is about when the England match will finish. So the first 40 minutes of Strictly is up against the post-match analysis, that bit that always drags down the average ratings for a live sports programme - 6 nations rugby, formula 1, champions league.

And - oh dear - Piers Morgan is on against Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. Remeber what happened the last time these two clashed? Piers got thumped (in the ratings - not literally). How more appealing as a guest is Vinnie Jones than Boris Becker?

Spent the last hour or so flicking between the Remembrance Festival and Piers Morgan. I wouldnt normally watch Piers but Ronnie Corbett is one of the all time great tv characters.
The Festival was thought provoking and poignant as ever.

I have to disagree with the above posters. (1035-1036) I think on the whole, it was the worst Saturday show of the entire series so far. The whole thing felt pretty flat throughout and there wasn't a single standout performance with the possible exception of Lucie.

Obviously it will be up on the somewhat disappointing Halloween performance last week but that's not saying much, is it? I don't think we're going to see a new high reached somehow.

Twitter's ever-changing list of trending topics is not that useful a tool because it doesn't guarantee that more people are watching/talking about it in greater numbers. It could just be that less people are tweeting generally or there are fewer other things worth tweeting about compared to last week. There is no evidence whatsoever that extra Twitter exposure marries in any way with audience growth, it's user base really is a drop in the ocean compared to the UK's television audience and I think it is important to keep that in perspective.

The other notable thing about tonight's show was Dermot's incompetence. He really got my back up tonight, disrespecting Louis for about the third week in a row. It totally grates the way he pulls him up for every single criticism he makes, puts up a fairly vacuous defense, then talks all over him before the man is able to fully articulate his response. Starting to believe his own hype I think but the reality he is he's very mediocre and highly disposable just like Kate before him. My feeling is the biggest show in the country at the moment could do a lot better. Maybe 2010 is time for a change?

He's a safe choice, but far from the best. If he isn't capable of being impartial and playing devil's advocate without undermining and ultimately riling the judges, perhaps it's time to get someone more skilled in to do the job...

I dont really understand what Twitter means, but doesnt anyone think X Factor will be hit by Bonfire parties?

I'm the other way round lol. I thought Dermot was right to pull Louis up this week. I don't think he's got favourites either - he sticks up for all the acts if they get criticism from the judges. I don't know who they could get better, bar Ant and Dec and unless you want them presenting it from a jungle in Australia for a couple of weeks...

Good for Benidorm last night - and obviously it's stable because the dip at 20.55 after Coronation Street was around the average for the whole show.

The soaps did alright but worrying that none of them could hit above 9m on a horrible (at least where I was!) November night. Maybe a few firework displays hit ratings. Certainly Have I Got News For You and Armstrong and Miller were hit again.

Yeah I think so. The fireworks have been fairly continuous for the third night in a row here and better weather has prevailed after two rainy nights previously. There were a number of local events and organised displays happening as well, as I'm sure was the case all over the country and many many parties going on to boot, all of which is bound to take it's toll. Up on last week should be a given, but I'm not expecting anything particularly stellar.

Bump cos I can't see Dancc's post except when I click on add reply....

....and now quote


I would have thought Bonfire Night would have taken more viewers away than Trick Or Treat. Surely TOT's not that popular?

Although I suppose Bonfire Night would have been spread over three nights.

It's been doing that a lot lately. It's happening to others as well, right?

It would be less annoying if refreshing the page fixed it, but it doesn't. Come on DS techies, sort it out!

Yes, it's happening to me too. Not all the time, but quite often.

I watched TXF for the first time this season, maybe I picked the wrong week to watch but it was truly awful, maybe it's always like that, either way, I thought it was REALLY dire, and was saddened that THAT is the programme people love and watch above everything else all week.

I think it might come out around a similar level this week. Strictly might gain a bit from the Blackpool show, I suppose.

The X Factor is really falling back on the entertainment value this year. The judges, the stories and the production. There's nobody who I can see putting in a great performance and I can't find a favourite. The average standard is pretty high, not many total duds there. But none who really raise the bar. However, they do have Danyl and Jedward who are proving to be very divisive which is good for the show. Ratings wise, the final probably can't come soon enough because this lot probably aren't going to build momentum towards the final. Though the final could suffer if the acts are all a bit bland and mediocre.

You're spot on and its the first big thing thats gone right for them this series.

I'm no avid Strictly fan, and I've only watched the first 10 minutes on iPlayer so far, but the size of the crowd and the grandeur of the surroundings definately gives the whole show a lift. Strictly's been falling a long way behind XF on the production values front (it used to be the other way around) - tonights was a massive improvement.

The limited clash should definately help XF - though I guess bonfire night is an unknown quantity. Strictly ought to benefit too but I worry for Merlin shoved so early. I hope it still manages to sustain whats been a very solid second series.