It hasn't done the ratings any harm, infact they have increased!

it'll be interesting to see how good the actors are from now on. Let's see if any of their antipathy seeps through

Damn I don't want him to leave! He said he didnt say that stuff, what more does the rest of the cast want him to do??! He's apologised... do they want him to kill himself or something?! They should really learn to GET OVER IT