I'm sure Last Comic Standing has been done by a British broadcaster before but I can't think where or when. I do remember there was a late night programme on ITV1 called Take the Mic which may have been similar.

ITV used some of the same pros from strictly Ice dancing, David Seaman won Strictly ICE dancing and 14 months later was a contestant on Dancing on ice.Jason Gardener was even a judge on Strictly dance fever


Yes, this is what I thought to. My memory isnt so bad after all

You learn something new everyday. That trusts me to believe Wiki when I doubled checked which was comissioned first.

Anyway, I don't think it matters in this case. The fact is that ABC are comissioning an ITV made show and the BBC have come in and will make the money from it.

The 2007 run on Wednesdays averaged 6.4m and a 2.7 in the demo, which for a Summer series is perfectly decent. In 2008 though it was moved to Thursdays and it dropped to 4.9m and 2.0, and was therefore axed. A year off may benefit it, but it may just harm it further. It could do ok for ITV, as stand up comedy is popular at the moment, and it would skew young for them, but the format would need to be perfected.

How so? The only thing that makes Dancing on Ice distinctive from Strictly Ice Dancing is the presence of Torville and Dean, and I assume they're not heading to ABC any time soon... The BBC will make money from a format they first aired six years ago. No big deal. Shame on ITV for not getting in there first, whether that be down to incompetence, offering a less attractive proposition or having an inferior reputation abroad.

The concept's a bit too narrow I think - at least with Criminal Justice and Five Days you can adapt many stories to suit the format. Collision would always have to involve a, well, collision.

Just read that Fearne Cotton hosted the 2008 series, so I'm not surprised ratings dropped !

Cheers for the numbers - the 2007 figures seem okay and I think the show is something worth looking into for ITV as I bet it'd rate relatively well among the key demos (it couldn't get any worse than Michael Winner!).

This is the point that bugs me. The first two points - well that's ITV issue, and an issue they need to sort out. But they're never going to improve their reputation if they're not given a chance. But BBC Worldwide has (probably rightly) got such an excellent reputation that I can't think of any other British company (or indeed European company) that has such an impact on America, or indeed worldwide that spreads it's wings so widely that other companies don't appear to be given a chance (not saying they don't have a chance, but they're not given one).

I'll lay it out in one sentence so it's easier to shoot me down: The BBC (BBC Worldwide anyway) seem to be acting more as a business than a broadcaster. For a non-commercial broadcaster, supported by the public, that just seems slightly wrong to me.

I admit that others see it differently, and that's fair enough. It's all personal opinion, but for what it's worth, that's mine.

Well that would explain it!

I agree that they should look into it, and if this Summer's run does ok I won't be surprised if they do as the current Friday tacic seems to 'throw everything at the wall and see what sticks' which I actually think is good as at least they're trying with new formats. As for Winner, I watched it tonight, and whilst it would clearly be better in the afternoon, I actually found it quite entertaining. It's clearly not something to be taken seriously, and it was quite funny in places, but it just isn't primetime material. ITV could do a lot worse than recommissioning it for an afternoon slot, though.

BBC Northern Ireland did a Last Comic Standing style competition called...

Find Me the Funny

isnt the point of BBCWW that they act like a business and make money from BBC shows or formats on the international market?

ITV do not have the high ground when it comes to BBCWW, currently two of there shows have BBCWW money invested in them, so if ITV want to start slagging BBCWW off, they should (if it were possible) give that money back.

Meanwhile I think the main reason ABC went with BBCWW format, is that they could call the new show either a "spin-off" or "from the producers of Dancing With the Stars" which is something they would quite like to say about the show, as it links it with Dancing With the Stars.

It also allows them to continue to work with a group of people they already work with well (at least I assume they do) and make it easier for say a judge from Dancing With the Stars, to appear on "Ice Dancing with the Stars"

These things may seem small, but along with the fact ABC know BBCWW can make this show for them, its easy to see why they made this decision.

Though it says a lot when even Mark Thompson is wondering whether it's too big/powerful (albeit he may be saying that to appease the Tories). I just think it's become too overbearing now, too dominant - unnecessarily so.


Which two shows are they? Actually...is Primeval getting BBC WW backing? I know another company is helping ITV out with that.


That's true. I think the title is a big thing - by linking it in with Dancing with the Stars they'll probably draw in more viewers. I doubt the BBC would've allowed the 'copying' of the title if ABC had used ITV.

Thats exactly their remit.

He was referring to the non tv arm, publishing radio times, lonely planet etc. Selling and exploiting its tv formats and rights is one thing that none of the political parties disagree with.


Obviously. As I said today Itv shoped it around in America and other countries and networks found it too derivative of DWTS.
Fox already tried Skating with celebrities.
Dancing with the stars on ice would be a natural spin off for ABC.

If CBS/NBC picked up DOI independent of DWTS branded a rip off and tacky.

Primeval is being produced by BBC America, ITV, Prosieben and UKTV, BBC America is owned by BBC Worldwide and Discovery but is has to acquire content from BBC WW and other producers like ITV Global etc

Like Midsomer Murders always involves a murder in a quaint little English village, all from the same part of the country. And it's never just one murder, always a serial killer.

Series 1 of collision was a multiple pile-up. Series 2 could be, for example, a head-on crash involving 2 cars, then across the week we see the effect the crash has on the people's lives. Just hand the task to the talented Anthony Horowitz and I'm sure he'll come up with a suitable story.

I just thought ITV would want to make a second series giving the ratings success of series 1 and series 2 of Five Days.

I would guess that it is rare that ITV & BBCWW would have two formats that are very similar, as is the case here, on the international market.


Primeval is the main one, but there is a small amount of BBC WW money involved in Taggart, I dont think its alot (its officially from UK TV channel Alibi) but its enough for STV to consider it a "partner"



this is very true, BBCWW would be quite right to object if an ITV format was being sold as a spin-off of one its formats.

Its a commercial subsidary of the BBC not a charity for ITV rip offs.




http://www.bbcworldwide.com/about-us.aspx

With relations between ITV and STV I bet that ITV wouldn't mind giving BBC WW the money back and axing Taggart.


In other words: it's there to make money - even though the BBC get the license fee as it is.

this is a recent decision, but if things get any worse between ITV & STV, I know what you mean.


this is the grey area in which BBCWW exisits, in the international market it normally is not a problem.

Its at home it becomes a problem.

Put it this way, should Doctor Who fans be denied the chance to buy a Doctor Who DVD, because the BBC WW will make some profit from that? How do you suggest a Doctor Who DVD makes it to market? should an independent company buy the rights, and bring the DVD to market? would it be right that a profit making company, makes money from the sales of Doctor Who DVD, something created using licence fee payers money.

The only reason the skating show is coming from BBC WW is because of the DWTS link. The Executive Producer has actually worked on DWTS and the director still does. The show will almost certainly air in the usual DWTS slot.

It's nothing to do with ITV Studios not trying or failing so there's no "shame" on their part. They got their show made with FOX several years ago and it failed. And BBC WW (as a production company) aren't some kind of powerhouse in the US, they had no pilots this year and the only show they seem to have apart from DWTS is "Moving Up", a minor reality series on cable network TLC. A string of shows in 2008 and 2009 flopped. Torchwood and Gavin & Stacey were in development this year at FOX & ABC but didn't make it past script stage.

ITV Studios have a hand in Kitchen Nightmares USA and own Hells Kitchen. If FOX wanted to make a skating show again, they would turn to ITV Studios.

I'd argue the other way round funnily enough - I'd say at home it shouldn't be a problem. If BBC want to sell Doctor Who merchandise, why not? Same with EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes etc. I'd even go as far as saying that if they want to sell their own shows abroad, that shouldn't be an issue.

For me, what BBC Worldwide shouldn't be doing is either making programmes for other companies abroad that are not to be aired on the BBC or making programmes that are owned by other companies.

I'm defeating my own argument here when I say I object BBC WW making money - I guess I don't really. What I do object is the way they handle things some of the time.

so BBC WW should not have made Dancing with the Stars with ABC? im sure BBCWW has made alot of money from selling the Strictly Come Dancing format around the world, and that money has gone back to the BBC to top up the licence fee.

I dont see what is wrong with that.


the grey area BBCWW exisits invites alot of criticism from all sides, but in this case there was a good reason ABC would have use the BBCWW format and not the ITV format, ITV might well speak up and try to take advantage of public ignorance, but they would be wrong.

Collision would be a little harder to do but I think Murderland could work well as a stripped series across five days and from five different perpectives rather than the three in the first Murderland.

There is a risk with stripped series that viewers may tire of it.

Dancing with the Stars (US) is aired on Watch which is a subsidary (sp) of the BBC, so arguably that is still being aired by the BBC.

The issue with the other versions is that this just increases the difference between BBC and the commercial stations, the BBC has even more money to play with while the country's in recession. BBC WW has such an impact that it's difficult for the other British companies to compete.


I'm surprised ITV haven't spoken up yet to be honest. There are good reasons why ABC may have chosen BBC WW, but BBC WW could've been reasonable and said 'no' as they don;'t produce the original (I know I'll definitely be shot down on this one, but oh well )