Wow - why does it have to be so hot? (hayfever suffer = hate it)

As for ratings, yes - they will be affected, thank goodness Doctor Who finished tonight and not next week.

I imagine soaps will be down to 5/6m (4m for Emmerdale) with everything else apart from Football below 3m.

I feel a sense of Schadenfreude creeping in over Big Brother in the same way some television critics took great delight in the slow death of Crossroads in the eighties, which tumbled from 17 million viewers in the late seventies to 6 million by the end( hopeless in those days). It seems to be that a once huge show slowly fading away and in its death throes seems to attract a morbid fascination, just in the same way Aussies must be counting down to the end of Neighbours, which is tanking badly.

Given what has happened before Im a bit surprised BBC1 hasnt taken the Tennis, have to say though its not the most thrilling stuff at the moment and maybe not worth the brickbats. No one is likely to complain that the Tennis isnt being shown on BBC1.

Having said that if this was a quarter final I reckon it would have been switched.

Many thought Crossroads was hopeless when it was getting 17 million

I'm speculating but I would imagine their decision not to take the tennis to One this evening was also influenced by the fact that the F1 has been shunted to Two tomorrow.

Dubsj if you're still around, do you know what Brazil vs. Portugal got on BBC1 and HD yesterday? It was a poor match, but it probably rated really well due to big names playing. Thanks.

It's not a nailbiter, so I expect many are watching the football on ITV and switching over now and again to check the tennis score.

Looks like the 3rd set is a bit tricker so far for Murray. Maybe if it pulls back to 2-1, then it'll go to BBC1 at 8:50pm until the conclusion?

He'll have just about won it by the end of half time!

I would have thought Casualty would have something to say about that.

Murray's match just finished.

Pretty much perfectly timed to have just replaced the Total Wipeout repeat and the lottery quiz, oh well..

In the past how often has a Murray match been shown in prime-time on BBC1 FROM THE START?

My recollection is they have usually joined matches midway through.

The thing is that a close tennis match is by definition very long. Would they want to give the whole of BBC1 from 7pm to say 10.30pm to a Murray match (and indeed only a 3rd round match).

If tonight's match had got close they would have joined it around the start of the 4th set so the BBC1 audience would still have seen all the excitement of the finish.

The other point is novelty - they want a Murray match on BBC1 prime-time to be a "special" event. Putting the whole of a match like tonight's on BBC1 starts to make it a bit less special.

Isn't that the point though?

Tonight was special.

BBC1 will never get an opportunity to join the start of a primetime Murray match directly after the finale of Doctor Who ever again. It could not have been more perfect.

Yes, it wasn't a tough match and it could have been further on in the competition, but it's still a great opportunity.

My point is they don't want to show a whole match because that is too long for a prime-time general entertainment audience.

They want to join a match midway through.

I dont think thats the reason why BBC1 joins matches halway through - its because its too difficult to predict when they are going to start and that many time they have commitments to news or EastEnders that they dont want to break.

I don't believe it. Had the BBC junked its 7-9pm line-up to show the Murray match, the usual suspects would have been complaining about the ratings chasing BBC. Instead, they stick to their plans, and everyone's complaining that they didn't!

Odd decision - would surely have had 7m+ on BBC1; be lucky if it gets more than 4m on BBC2. Limited damage to ITV1's WC match - indeed, I suspect it will be getting good numbers now it's going to ET and Casualty's about to finish for an Apollo repeat.

Looks like this game will go to ET and maybe penalties. Although this is the USA we're talking about so can't rule out a late goal yet.

I wonder what'll happen with James Corden? Sure, they can delay it, but ITV4 is due to join at 10pm which makes things a bit more complicated. I'm sure they've planned for this eventuality, though.

Almost relevant but when Soccer Aid overran, ITV4 showed nothing for 15-20 mins (for their Extra Time show) they claimed 'technical difficulties'!

Haha! That old chestnut.

You'd have thought they'd have some backup material lined up just in case, although I appreciate most of this stuff is automated nowadays, especially on digital.

This is ITV we are talking about mind

They have changed the ITV4 schedule to have James Corden at 10.45pm

"In a change to the advertised schedule..." They are showing World's Most Dangerous Sports to fill the gap.

I am shocked ITV4 has a live announcer on a Saturday night. Perhaps not as automated as I thought.

maybe it is a pre recorded voice over.

Murray is 3rd on Centre Court on Monday.

Will be a BBC1 job this time I suspect - BBC1 to join around 7pm sometime in the 2nd or 3rd set?

I suspect the titanic clash between Brazil and Chile looks even less attractive to ITV now...