The BBC love the money they make from the votes "phone in" , thats why its given the better time slot. The truth is not as many people really care for it as Doctor who and OTR should be put on later instead of taking the prime time family spot.

It is an annoying time to be on though especially this time of year with the lighter evenings people go out and enjoy the weather.

What a hysterically selfish and majoritively ill-informed thread. I want it on at 17 minutes past 8 BBC: never mind the other 8 million viewers as it's me that matters and that's when I'll be home.

This is another of those myths that exist.

By 8th May it will be getting on for 9pm when the sunsets. By the time the end of the series roles around it will be getting on for 9.30pm.

It being light out is a total irrelevance unless your suggesting a post watershed time slot would be suitable for DW?

the series 4 episodes which were earlier, had less ratings than the later ones. i studied the barb ratings at the time!! also why did RTD and DT kick up such a fuss about the earlier start time!!?? it wasnt for no reason

I want to see it right now! As a licence fee payer, I think I'm entitled to that, at least.

I am talking about overall averages, it's not good trying to cherry pick!

Besides which only two episodes in series four had less than 7 million viewers and one of them started at 7pm and series 4 had the highest average audience by over half a million.

There was a wee bit of a dip mid series, but that it pretty much an established pattern in any case, not related to time slots at all.

Even RTD publicly said he got it wrong when he speculated the ratings would be poorer.

Whether or not ratings will be poorer is a moot point. Generally TV channels put their key show, the highlight of the schedule in the best possible slot for it to succeed. 6pm is not the best possible slot for Doctor Who...are they saying that it's not as key as Over the Rainbow?

Doctor Who is in a spot of bother it seems, the Beeb suddenly seem to have lost interest in it. Maybe they can no longer be bothered to pay for it? I can't see any other reason why OTR has been given top priority, as Doctor Who's ratings have been superior.

The BBC have invested more in publicity and promotion in this series of DW than any in the show history, it's quite clearly not a question of them having lost interest in. There are certain scheduling difficulties this year that one has to step back and look at, this is the big failing of most DW fans - they can't see beyond the scheduling of this show!!!

This one episode, due to the extended length of OTR is on about 20 minutes early. To see the OTT reaction from some people here is to see why fandom gets mocked so much from people on the outside frankly!

And the bottom line is actually that the BBC have more faith in this show than many of it's fans do.

I just don't get why Doctor Who is the one which is moved into early start times, where the schedule can be adapted to give Doctor Who a better slot without harming the other programmes too badly.

5.00 Total Wipeout
6.00 Over the Rainbow
7.25 Doctor Who
8.10 National Lottery
9.00 Casualty

I'd have thought that the BBC would be more concerned about promoting it's current leading weekend primetime programme (which must cost a bit to air) than Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest West End advertisement. I know above would lead to a ten minute clash with Britain's Got Talent, but I don't think that'd hurt the show too badly, if at all.

The BBC do not make any profit from phone ins.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/edit...tivityed.shtml




Yes, more people watch Who than they do OTR, but that doesn't mean the BBC should schedule to reflect that, if it did I'm sure it would be accused of chasing ratings.







For what its worth I couldn't give a stuff what time it is on as long as it is on.

With respect, Fudd, DW belongs before OTR because it is more a family orientated show than the latter if you look at the demographics. It's kind of irrelevant that DW gets more viewers in that regard.

I think 7.25pm is too late for DW in any case, kids start going to bed from 7.30 onwards. Why should they miss out on the show just because it makes a couple of thousand people in fandom happier to see the show in a post 7pm slot? That seems rather selfish.

It should be on at 5.15 after the scores, old school-style.

Doctor Who's been given the later slot before with no serious issues rating wise, hasn't it? And as others have said in defence of the early start - there's iplayer, the BBC repeats, Sky+ and videos for people to catch up on if required.

6pm just smacks of shoulder peak or whatever the media speak for it is. Surely a programme of Doctor Who's reach and standard shouldn't have to play out there?

It's hard not to agree with that.

Regards,

Cypher

My point isn't about ratings going down, it's about catering to your audience as a whole. DW does well whatever time slot it is in, but is best scheduled so that it starts no later than 7pm to cater for all that want to view it. It makes little odds if it's on at 6pm, 6.30pm or 6.40pm, people who want to watch the show will still watch it. That is what the statistics quite clearly prove, hence why the average for pre 7pm and post 7pm episodes is identical.


The BBC know that DW has thrived in a pre 7pm slot. This one episode is going to be what amounts to be a few minutes earlier than the norm this series.

Like I said up thread, bottom line: The BBC have more faith in the show than many of it's fans do.

If ratings are identical, then the audience is being catered for in the late slot - people will watch it so surely the 'too late for children' argument becomes as redundant as the 'too early for the programme' argument?


Personally I think having it at 6.20 is too early as well. 7pm would be the perfect time, as that sits in peaktime then, rather than on the edge.


I think the BBC use it as filler. Over the Rainbow appears to be their key concern currently and every other show fits round it so it's given the best chance. I'm not saying the BBC have no faith in the programme, but they're more focused on other shows on the channel than Doctor Who.

Because they know Doctor Who will take care of itself. So they don't need to focus on it.

I don't watch Over the Rainbow but clearly, the ratings show people do watch it and I guess it will be an expensive show to produce. So they need to attract people to watch it so they vote. So why shouldn't they put it on after one of their most successful series' in the hopes that people will just stay on that side and watch and possibly vote.

A program like Over The Rainbow doesn't have DVD sales to help out like Doctor Who does.

You want it on at 7pm?

How about on June the 5th when it'll be up against the BGT final? How about June 12th when it'll be vs England first live world cup game? How about June 19th vs another of Englands World Cup Game?

I imagine then you and others on this thread would be fuming if the BBC had it on at 7pm those weeks wouldn't you? Ratings would take a big old hit, I can assure. Remember SITL?

We'd get the "if the BBC cared about this show they would put it on earlier" and "we all know it will do better earlier" spiel if they do.

Again, 7pm or after does not see an increase in viewers. DW is a family orientated drama that has proven it can maintain high ratings in earlier slots, and given the statistical evidence to support this viewpoint I would suggest the BBC knows what it doing a damn sight more than any of the people nashing their teeth in this thread over a 15 minute or so earlier than the norm for this series start time as a one off.

It's fairly clear, given the events above, that the BBC have decided to generally start DW between 6.15-6.30 this series as a regular slot. This one week being the exception because of the extended length of OTR.

Well my main point really was Over the rainbow is taking the prime time slot because it makes the BBC money from the phone in.

If they put OTR on earlier they know that the viewing figures will be down for various reasons as lot of families (mine included) might not be ready to sit down in peace at 6pm. Heaven forbid that BBC lose out on some potential voters as that would be money lost.

Even if you personal don't believe people stay out longer this time of year, I would say that people do. Especially if it been a nice day out and the last few Saturdays have been fine weather here (Southampton). But yeah it is beside the point because I always try to make sure I am back in plenty of time to watch the good Doctor.

I was thinking about casual viewers who might flick it on and watch it that would add to the viewing figures. There must be a lot of casual viewers who flick it on that little bit later and end up watching over the rainbow and the BBC know this.

Personally I find it a bad time for my family as I have two very young children who go to bed around 630 pm. So just before we are getting them ready and about the time we are reading stories etc. I am aware the time shouldn't be changed for one family but there must be a lot of families with young children that miss out that because of the time its on.

Its not the end of the world but it would be nice if Over the Rainbow was on later so Doctor Who could be on at 7. I have heard Doctor who is doing pretty well with its viewing figures but I reckon it would do a lot better at 7. After all you don't want the BBC to lose faith in it because of low viewing figures and end up replacing it with another (IMO) crap reality sing song show.

I don't think the BBC actually gain a profit from the phone ins

Really? I'm not sure about that.

Anyway I apologise to the people who are fans of both.
Its just not really my thing.

Anyway i think this link says it best

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/04/29/earl...res-of-venice/

I find expressions such as "losing faith in", "showing no respect for" and "filler" as utterly unfathomable in regard to the BBC'S attitude towards Doctor Who. For a start, I cannot think of another TV show resurrected on any Channel that has been given more attention than DW has since the news broke in 2004 - TV promotion, website, allied games, a prime time Christmas Special every year and not one but two spin-off programmes.

Just because it isn't the centre of the BBC'S Universe when the BBC caters for the 50 odd million people that live in this country on a daily basis across Four Channels does not mean that it lacks respect for DW any more than when Eastenders is moved to Wednesday's to make way for CIN or Comic Relief means that that flagship show is being disrespected - it is merely making the most of limited time and resources.

This new era was granted an immediate second series (Series 6) commission prior to broadcast plus a Christmas Special - SJA has been granted a double series recommission and has been placed in Prime Time on BBC3 as have repeats of DW since it returned.

Just because the change of time inconveniences you - why try and pretend that your concern is for the future of the programme when that is clearly not at issue for the foreseeable future?

Bang on, dead right Muttley - and about the BGT and football issues Doctor Who would face up against.

I really think we all get our knickers in a right twist about nothing on this board sometimes.

Only sometimes?