BBC One Scotland had 1.3million at midnight, 66% share http://t.co/Cv2Jcnz

Tonight is a very interesting battle. Indiana Jones could get anything from 5m-10m, Magicians could get anything from 4m-8m and then there is the much loved Come Fly With Me and Primeval returns.


Perhaps I should have said it was the highest rated show that began at 9pm, excluding HD.

That drop in sitcom hours is really steep. I'm surprised thats not been picked up on by the press or the BBC Trust. I suppose the actual figure is buried under the broader 'comedy' banner, where hours are boosted by the endless panel shows. No doubt that timeslots are a massive problem especially pre-watershed, but the success of something like Outnumbered, which had really odd scheduling in its first series, proves that quality will break through eventually. There's just not enough of it being produced at the moment.

The Channel 4 thing really irks me too. I see their first Mary Portas show begins this month. The channel used to be the innovator, but its resorting to what ITV tried and failed with a few years ago - poaching factual stars to present knock-off versions of their shows.

I hope Primeval does well tonight. I've never gotten into it, but any non-Crime drama on ITV deserves encouragement, in my opinion. The Magicians could do anything on BBC One. The timeslot is good but I sense a flop... mind you, my senses have been very wrong before...!

The Magicians isn't great. I fear for it.

I don't think it's much cop either...will be interesting to see a breakdown for it tomorrow, see if the audience stuck with it.

Tend to agree, it's pretty awful.

Is it awful in a car-crash TV sort of way or in a boring way? I remember people were saying Take Me Out was awful after its first episode last year but the ratings increased the following week, maybe because people wanted to watch light hearted car-crash TV?

I think The Magicians will do well tonight anyway as it's in an excellent slot, sandwiched between two high rated TV shows and it's been promoted a lot. I reckon it'll win its slot tonight.

If it gets less than 3m, it will be a major disappointment for the Beeb - it was one of their big festive highlights.

(Although having said that, the Beeb seems to have finished Christmas early this year - I see we are already back to the normal idents - bloody idiots... )

Assuming CFWM bombs tonight, losing possibly half its audience, then I'd expect E&E to get 4m, possibly more. BBC1 has nothing after 9.30, and ITV goes to a movie once TMO finishes around 9.40. So the audience for E&E should build over the 90 mins. E&E has also been trailed for weeks, and particularly today.


Magicians is utter garbage from what I've seen so far - nothing like the slick impressive show I was expecting. I'm very disappointed at how old hat it is.

Contrary to expectations, Primeval will surely win the 7.30 battle now.

I don't see Indy 4 getting more than 5.5-6m given the stupidly early timeslot and other film competition - Harry Potter and Independence Day.

There's quite a bit of interest for the various different demographics on all 4 channels tonight - I can see a lot of shows cancelling each other out tonight, much more than we have seen for a good 2-3 weeks.


Wow - impressive for a nation of less than 5m!

For that reason, New Year Live (shown in rest of UK) will not make any top shows of 2010 list - will probably get 9m tops in the official ratings.


I never thought about viewing in pubs and clubs. BBC1 probably had 20m+ viewers at midnight last night.




Why should the ITV1+1 ratings "add complications"?

It's a separate channel, and the ratings for ITV1 will continue to be collated and reported for those viewers who watch ITV1. Sure, they should incorporate simulcast ITV1HD into the main ITV1 figures, as with simulcast BBC1HD. But not those for the separate ITV1+1 channel.

ITV has made the decision to run a catch up channel; if it dents the ratings for shows on ITV1, then so be it.

Tough titties.

I know people that made more of an effort for New Years Eve last night then they usually do becuase they had got paid and it fell into a week end (so there's an extra day as Monday is Bankholiday)

It makes me laugh as this past few weeks in the soap threads Because EastEnders has been out on top they have not posted anything (But been online) as soon as corrie comes out on top they are like Flys around SH*T (No Names Mentioned)

So what Corrie beat EastEnders
It's not like they had millions gap between them it's just how people play shocked when they get a bad rating
once in a bluemoon

I expected Between 7-9m as posted in the soap ratings thread a few days ago
and this time around i didn't see anyone predict the stupid 12/13m that they usually do because i think many thought the same thing.

I doubt the BBC 3 repeat will also amount to much but I Player showings and Omnibus should be up

The Magicians ruined by being yet another pro-celeb format, rather than giving the magicians themselves the stage to entertain. It's formatted exactly like most reality shows with a training VT before each act, and all the worse for it.

It's Crap!
Have switched over to ITV1 for Primeval
which isn't too bad but it best be over by 8:30

For once I agree with you.

BBC1 has done very well to deliver two massive 2011 TV turkeys already - The Magicians and Come Fly With Me!

Having celebs on The Magicians to do a trick isn't necessarily a bad idea - a special guest each week, not the whole damned thing.

Celebrity formats are going to be hard to avoid for a while with this, Famous and Fearless and Dancing on Ice.

Not really car crash - just awkward, boring and very unremarkable. The tricks have all been pretty obvious, its badly staged, the celebrities look amateurish and Lenny Henry is highly annoying. I can't believe they couldn't do a better job than this...

I'm sure you're right about the ratings for this first episode. The breakdown and drop-off next week could be dismal though.

Let's hope the over-exposure and ennui kills off the whole damned lot of them!

Well, apart from Strictly.

EDIT: they seem to be having a "magic-off" now... :yawn:

Just seen the 2011 drama preview for BBC One. It showed Luther. I thought that show was axed?

Two points, first one, some people here must live in a box disconnected from the real world. All this over analysis on why last nights ratings were down on a normal Friday and how more people go out on NYE when it falls on a Friday! Presumably when NYE falls on a Monday in a few years, nobody will go out as people don't go out on Mondays!

Secondly, The Magicians wasn't very good and was far too 'BBC establishment'. Guests included Bruno from Strictly and Sian Williams from BBC Breakfast. Both guests there for ratings and cross promotion rather than any entertainment value.

Next Saturday will be the start of the proper Saturday night battle. Except from The Magicians, BBC One are using two shows they have used around this time of the year in 2009 and 2010.

18:00 - Total Wipeout (New Series 4)
19:00 - The Magicians
20:00 - In It to Win It (the final five shows to air since the series started in September 2009)
20:50 - Casualty
21:40 - Come Fly With Me (Repeat)

As with ITV.

18:30 - The Best of TV Burp
19:00 - Primeval
20:00 - Take Me Out
21:15 - Piers Morgan's Life Stories (Repeat: Cheryl Cole).

Also I notice The Magicians is on for five weeks, taking it up to 29th January. Which could mean Let's Dance For Comic Relief (if comissioned) could be penciled in for 5th February but have a longer run?

Indeed. The BBC obviously now see the christmas idents as a promotional device rather than a decoration (a bit like retailers)

Start using them very early to promote Xmas programming and then get rid as soon as possible when the attention turns to shifting new year stock.

I can see CFWM getting over 8m tonight.

It was recommissioned for 2x120' episodes after the first series officially averaged 5.0m: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pre...missions.shtml

No surprise it was only the guest born out of ITV that actually did anything entertaining. Indeed in axing the assistants they've cut out one of the most important parts of the magician's act surely. It's a wonder the Union of Magician's Assistants aren't protesting outside the BBC! ITV's Penn and Teller show on Friday looks much more promising, and based around unknown magicians doing acts designed to baffle us all, rather than the stuff anyone could do after watching a couple of episodes of Breaking the Magicians Code.

BTW, this runs for five episodes, so every Saturday in January. Is Let's Dance confirmed for Comic Relief - I'm guessing that'll follow in mid-Feb, with a few Six Nations games to fit into the schedule too. Total Wipeout back next week - perhaps this year the BBC will stick with the new series rather than showing one episode then switching to repeats for three months before resuming the series in the Spring.

I won't be surprised if like 2009 we will be seeing two series this year. The one returning next week to feature the courses from the third series with another series to replace 101 Ways in the summer to feature the new, third revamped course.

Here is the Six Nations matches for Saturday nights, times indicate kick off.

Saturday 5th February - France v Scotland - 5pm
Saturday 12th February - Scotland v Wales - 5pm
Saturday 19th February - Free
Saturday 26th February - England v France - 5pm
Saturday 5th March - Free
Saturday 12th March - Wales v Ireland - 5pm
Saturday 19th March - Ireland v England - 5pm
Saturday 19th March - France v Wales - 7.45pm

I suspect Total Wipeout will have a four week run up to 29th then they'll break up for Six Nations. Comic Relief is planned for 18th March. Therefore I'm guessing Let's Dance could return on 19th February for their four week run.

What is also interesting this year that there are 29 National Lottery game show slots to be slotted into the schedule.

In It to Win It - Series 12 (5 episodes carried over from September 2009)
In It to Win It - Series 13 (8 episodes)
Who Dares Wins - Series 4 (8 episodes)
Secret Fortune - (8 episodes, all recorded in June 2009).

As a guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primeva...ing_statistics

Should be ~6m tonight for it.

Primeval finished late and EastEnders started and finished late tonight (which is trending on twitter)