Decent for the football, I thought. About what I was expecting anyway - we know the figures generally come in a bit lower than they would on the BBC, so thats no great surprise.

High Street Dreams enters embarassing territory, while EastEnders takes a blow (though Corrie wasn't exactly impressive in its slot different slot either). I'm sure EE execs are adopting the brace position ahead of next week - no doubt by the time it's finished there'll be several tabloid stories suggesting it's going to be axed and blasting about "losing 10 million viewers since February!"

I'm quite curious to see how Corrie will do in the BGT sandwich. With a big, hyped storyline, I wouldn't be surprised to see it levelling with the BGT episodes before and after it. The EE Christmas sandwiches demonstrate how audiences will stick with the filler - add in the extra Corrie fans, and they should be on for some belting numbers.

Million Pound Drop did fine, but I'm guessing from the comments that its ratings may take a bit of a drop too! I'm not sure this is "the next big thing" they might have been hoping it to be.

I agree - just seems to be Deal or no Deal rejects so far. :yawn:

I think it's Top Gear with 550,000 on 20/12/09.

ITV Press Office has updated:

Britain's Got Talent
Saturday, 5 June 2010, 7:30PM - 10:00PM

I'm not sure even I can last a 2 and a half hour marathon. Seriously? OK, I know its been 2 hours, 15 minutes in the past few years, but at least there was an hour break in the middle.

Is that a final update, or just another provisional update?

I'd say its confirmed.

Also on there is:

Florida: Paradise Lost
Wednesday, 9 June 2010, 8:00PM - 9:00PM

A schedule like:
19:00 Emmerdale
19:30 Coronation Street
20:00 Britain's Got Talent
22:00 ITV News at Ten

everyday for the week would wipe the floor in primetime and not be as ludicrous as that extra 1/2 hour - 2 hours is common in the US so it's not too much for a similar style of TV viewing nation.

I've a feeling Casualty might move to Sunday night that week.

If the BGT final remains as it is once ITV confirms the schedules, it's going to boost EastEnders' chances of claiming the BARB no. 1 spot for 2010 (excluding sports events). Two hours and a half is very long, even longer than last year's X Factor final show, so the average won't be as high as it could be if there was a separate 30-minute results show.

If last year's final was combined into one 2h15m show, the weighted average would've been about 15.5m. Ratings are down about 7-10% this year, so I think it's very much possible that the final may get an average of around 14-15m. I can't see it averaging 16m+ in the overnights.

Doubt it
As we've seen from EastEnders the BBC won't move it out the way because of something 'Big' on the other side

The BBC will struggle through and BGT won't be here the week after but Casualty will and The BBC will win every saturday up untill ITV have xfactor so i doubt they are bothered by 1 week

I think you'll find ITV could get potentially higher ratings the week after with England vs USA.

(even if your posts are now bordering on anti-ITV)

It depends what they have lined up for the interval act in the final. If Diversity or SuBo return, it could generate higher ratings than a filler show.

Reasonable rating for the football if not spectacular. I don't think ITV can do anything about regaining the 'lost' viewers that prefer the BBC - they'll just have to make do with what they manage to get.

High Street Dreams did appallingly but EastEnders held up well against the match. Coronation Street was hurt badly; they should've placed Emmerdale there and tried to restore Tuesday - if only for one week - and gone with:

7.00 Emmerdale
7.30 Children's Hospital
8.00 Coronation Street
9.00 The Bill


There'd be a clash with EastEnders, though, that ITV1 seem eager to avoid - at least where Coronation Street is concerned anyway.
Last edited by Fudd : 25-05-2010 at 19:10

Call me cynical but I think the reason ITV1 have scheduled BGT in a 2.5hr block in this way is because they have come to the conclusion that it won't be able to top last year. So at least this way they can say the reason it is down is because of the longer runtime.

Why the hell aren't they splitting it?! Last year was briliant because the final show was sharp and focused.

Still, I guess we should be glad they're not having a two hour show on both Saturday and Sunday, like they did with The X Factor.

Message to ITV - sometimes with big shows quality has to come above quantity.

Well they will still have casualty anyway
and no im not Anti ITV i do actually watch 'Some' programes on there

Eastenders was up against the match itself. Kick-off was at 8pm.

I do agree that Emmerdale should have stayed at 7pm last night. They should have done what you said and put them all on tonight, however I would have cut Corrie into the 2x30 mins and put Children's Hospital at 8pm in the sandwich.


You big cynic Dan. As if ITV would have done it for that reason.

Kickoff was at 8pm so EastEnders was up against the match.


Yeah, I agree. Could've also been a 'tester' to see how Corrie does on Tuesday nights compared to Thursdays.

Sorry - muddled up the days.


Then it'd be Coronation Street up against EastEnders (I said that a post too soon ) and I think ITV would avoid that. Plus considering Coronation Street struggles on Thursday with a lead in of 6.5m+ against a 4m show, goodness knows what it'd do on a Tuesday against a 5m+ show with a lead in of, at best, 3m!

Forgot about the EE clash, so best scrap that. As I said in a post earlier they could have replicated the usual Monday schedule on Wednesday and bumped the Movie Awards as that will flop badly.

Would there be any point in splitting Coronation Street if there is little need though (if it was aired on a Wednesday)? Better to keep the audience and air in one go, rather than split it and risk the viewers switching and not turning back.

Re: BGT - a two and a half hour final is a marathon, though only marginally longer than this years Dancing on Ice final. It's surprising really even if they are back to back that they don't bill the results separately like they do in the US to get the two ratings nods.

Personally I think a break is needed - if only for 15 minutes with the news. Also gives an extra 15 minutes to get those votes in, but also gives the show much more structure. And again More Talent loses out on involving the under 16's in the show - they missed the opportunity with a 9pm show during the week, and now they'll miss the slot they usually get if it's an all in one affair.

They didn't move Casualty to avoid the X Factor final last December, nor, for that matter, did they move Strictly to avoid it.

It's quite clear from Eastenders' lack of movement in the schedule that it's "business as usual" for the BBC next week and they'll just put up with whatever happens.

Bit of a nightmare for BBC Scotland. They are pulling The Scheme due to legal action. Tonight's episode will air, but a message will follow explaining that the series will not continue.

Someone featured in from episode 3 onwards is in court and they have to wait until after the trial.

Oh dear

That could be quite a wait.