Thanks a lot for this rzt! Some really interesting info here. It's very frustrating how difficult it is to get the full picture nowadays with BARB making it almost impossible to get consolidated ratings for ITV shows due to the separation of HD and +1, and them not bothering to report +1 at all, so you doing this is much appreciated.

BBC1's returning dramas have all done brilliantly. For Silent Witness to average 8m after 15 years is extraordinary and it's definitely added viewers over the last few years as I remember it being more of a ~6m show. Hustle, Lark Rise and Waking The Dead also did/is doing very well. Zen did decently but the drop-off over the series and the high cost meant curtains for it. Outcasts drowned at birth but with the production delays this wasn't too surprising. Silk on the other hand is doing well and definitely deserves to return as it has been a consistently solid performer.

ITV have also had a good year so far. Wild at Heart has cemented itself as a big winner and looks set to go on for several more years, and that they get 10 episodes per year really adds to it (like Silent Witness on BBC1). Benidorm has performed terrifically this year. The overnights may have settled at just slightly above last series but the gap between this series and the last one grows in the officials, and if STV were showing it it would be averaging in the high 8's, with the first episode above 9m, which is incredible, and even better considering it airs on Fridays. Midsomer looks set to continue for years to come with ratings like that, and is a real staple for ITV, as it's been running since 1997 and last year they got 16 hours (8x2 hour episodes) out of it. The fact that it repeats so well certainly makes it even more worthwhile too. Marchlands did brilliantly, and for the last episode to be just 0.34m down on the first is excellent.

Above Suspicion certainly did better than the overnights made it seem, and it deserves to come back, but better scheduling would help next time (ie. not against Silent Witness). Kidnap and Ransom did pretty well and deserves to come back for a longer run like Whitechapel. Monroe is doing solidly, and if it remains consistent then like Silk it deserves to return. Law and Order is doing OK. If STV were airing it then the second episode would have been at ~5.4m, and the third would be at about 5m which is alright considering it's against WTD. If the next series does indeed air in the Summer it should do pretty well. Primeval didn't do great but again the consolidated numbers don't look that bad and it's only down by 0.32m on the 2009 run. I know it should have been up but it wasn't the absolute turkey that I and others made it out to be. Taggart did badly, no question, but again there are reasons for that which have been discussed over and over again.

Wild At Heart does seem to be forgotten about a lot on here - particularly in criticism of ITV's drama output. I often forgot about it when criticising their non crime output. But it's a huge hit for them, particularly as it runs 10 episodes.

Silent Witness is unique in that when Amanda Burton left, the series got better! I guess making it an ensemble worked well.

Vera I think if it is received well and does great should get a second series although they'll have to be original stories as they've already adapted all the books.

I think the YouTube stage is being done as auditions over here (aren't they doing an extra audition day next Sunday - I assume it's for this), but I'm not sure whether they'll just integrate the YouTube acts into the regular audition shows or have an episode dedicated to them. I'd have liked them to have done it as a live show but I can see why they didn't as it wouldn't have worked as well with the UK format of stripped live shows, as it would probably have been the last semi so we'd have been meeting all new acts the day before the final, which wouldn't work so well.


I agree, that would work well. I'd have liked the semis to be cut to 90 mins and for them to have had an extra one to make up for it but it doesn't look like they will. I just hope they don't split the shows again, and especially not around Corrie. I'd quite like them to launch a couple of new shows for the Summer at 10pm that week on Tuesday-Thursday, shoving the news to 11pm for the week to take advantage of the lead-in but I highly doubt they will as they'll have used up all their advertising allowance by 10pm.

The Law & Order UK consolidated ratings certainly put a more positive light on how it performed a couple of weeks ago. It effectively got a 5.4m official rating up against Waking The Dead which is decent and not too far off what new dramas such as Silk, Monroe, Kidnap & Ransom have done for their non-pilot episodes against much weaker competition.


We talk about ITV needing new non-crime hits, but ironically most of their most popular dramas are non-crime shows: Downton Abbey, Doc Martin, Wild at Heart, Benidorm probably all would fill four of ITV's top 5 drama spots! ITV could do with a new returning 6-10 part hourly crime drama series. The only returning 6+ episode crime drama brand they have is L&O which does okay but not a big hitter. They're making the right move with extending the lengths for DCI Banks and Whitechapel so they'll be hoping those pay off.

Talking of Whitechapel, when is S1 being repeated on ITV 3 next?

I made a promise I would give the show a chance, around the time S2 aired, but as S1 has been on yet, ive yet to be able to do that.

I already have S2 on my PVR, and I will at least record S1, with a view to getting around to watching it at some stage.

If one, or even better both of those two do well as a full series then they'll be in a great position as they're the sort of shows (DCI Banks especially) that can be extended again to 8+ episodes for future series. Hopefully Kidnap and Ransom will get a 6 part run too as it was great. I suspect they'll have high hopes for Scott and Bailey too as it has the same writer and lead actress (Sally Wainwright and Suranne Jones) as Unforgiven which did really well in 2009. Whilst it may well air on Sundays for this series, if it does well and gets recommissioned it's the sort of show that could air in the week as they're hour long episodes. Looking further ahead Eternal Law will either do really well or flop horribly, and with ITV's track record in more quirky shows I can see the latter happening unfortunately.

Yeah Kidnap & Ransom could be extended to 6 episodes (3 stories x 2 eps) like Whitechapel and DCI Banks. It'll be interesting to see how ITV handles these 2-parter dramas - will they just air all 6 episodes weekly on the same day or do what the BBC do and have it on the day after the other like Silent Witness/Waking The Dead. A Sunday/Monday split would work pretty well for them, I know it's unlikely but if they have TXF on Sat/Sun right from the auditions they could fit DCI Banks in for 3 weeks on Sun/Mon before Downton Abbey returns so it'd benefit from TXF/Corrie lead-ins on both days.

I'm not sure Scott & Bailey will be on Sundays anymore after reading about the scheduling for Popstar to Operastar. I think it'll probably occupy the Thursday slot and could well be a success if it's as good as Unforgiven. As for Eternal Law, I'm leaning towards it being a flop as it sounds cult-ish/non mainstream but I thought the same about Marchlands and look at how that rated!

I'm guessing Doc Martin will go on Mondays or Thursday since Downton will get the Sunday slot and DCI Banks or whatever crime dramas is scheduled for Autumn will get the slot that Doc Martin didn't get.

I think Doc Martin will run until Martin Clunes calls it a day. He doesn't seem to be actively involved in other TV shows aside from the travel documentaries.

I think they could do well with a Sunday/Monday split but I suspect they'll air them all on the same night as that's what they did with Trial and Retribution and Wire In The Blood in 2008/2009. I'd like DCI Banks to go there but like you say it's unlikely. If the I'm A Celebrity Final remains on a Saturday this year then they could fit DCI Banks in December before Christmas but again I think it's unlikely. I think they'll have Downton Abbey on Sundays, Doc Martin on Mondays and DCI Banks on Thursdays with Eternal Law early next year (they haven't even announced a cast yet so I guess it won't be ready until next year).


S&B will be better on Thursdays with a Corrie lead in than on Sundays with an Operastar lead in anyway. I reckon they'll air The Royal inbetween Operastar or Penn and Teller if they want an all-entertainment night. It looks like they're actually making a bit of an effort with Summer drama this year with S&B, Injustice, L&O, Single Handed, Midsomer Murders, Appropriate Adult and The Royal. I know The Royal is axed already but it's still a damn sight better than their drama offerings for the last few Summers. Eternal Law does sound like a flop but we'll see. Marchlands worked because it was edgy and supernatural but was mainstream enough to hold a big audience, so it's a matter of whether Eternal Law can also get that balance right.

Single Handed could go on Sundays but it's the same format as DCI Banks and Whitechapel so I think it'll either as 3 2 hour episodes or 6 1 hour episodes. Fridays may be an option depending how long Paul O'Grady Live is.

The Jury I imagine will air in December when IAC has finished.

BBC Breakfast this morning, usually presented by Sian Williams and Bill Turnbull on a Monday, is for the next 4 days presented by Susanna Reid (seen her this morning? drool....) and Charlie Stayt.
Don't know if Sian and Bill have decided yet whether to move to Salford, but maybe this is a sign of things to come.

Apparently they are both going but Sian is only going to work Monday-Wednesday. Perhaps they've gone house-hunting together

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/orga...stine-bleakley


something for the knockers! For those without history books at their side TVAM was the early morning franchise from 1983 - 1992 which started poorly as did GMTV in 1993

Its funny because Alison Sharman said the exact opposite.
There are 2 articles George why didn't you post the second one
The other one of course isn't written by the Editor of Daybreak unlike the one you just posted, which is full of creative accounting


Has there been an earthquake or War anywhere? Of couse he fails to mention the big growth Breakfast has had in March


GMTV was still well head of the BBC alternative even with the rocky start. Selective memory?

[quote=jake lyle;49062346]Its funny because Alison Sharman said the exact opposite.
There are 2 articles George why didn't you post the second one
The other one of course isn't written by the Editor of Daybreak unlike the one you just posted, which is full of creative accounting[/QUO

I recently posted some official BARB figures which showed the average audience for Daybreak from January 1 up to March 3 was 660,000 a day and the average for BBC Breakfast was 1.55 m but George has conveniently overlooked those.Perhaps he doesn't accept the BARB ratings and has his own

Here is broadcast analysis [ie not Daybreaks Editor] from just a few weeks ago.


That even includes Lorraine's figures which help mask some of Daybreaks decline.

From memory I dont think so.

I know (I have the BARB books!) that in late 80's (1987/88) it was roughly TVAM 1.6m/ BBC Brekfast Time 1.0m - but the BBC show ended earlier.

So i doubt that GMTV was ahead of the BBC in the early days as GMTV lost a lot of the old TVAM audience and the BBC was gaining ground anyway.


On that basis - war etc according to our DS "experts" the BBC should be taking viewers from ITV

The point of course that our "experts" dont get is that its commercial tv and things are a little different in the commercial tv world. You primary goal is to grow you own audience regardless of where it comes from.

Well if you doubt it ,then it must be true. Ian rumsey should get you a job, you can spin the ratings for him.

Perhaps in the interests of balance George you would post links to the article by Peter McHugh (ex GMTV boss) on the Mediaguardian web site saying it's time to pull the curtains on Daybreak and also remind us of Adam Crozier's remarks about Daybreak not being up to expectations.

why dont you post the actual figures then?
Not having the last 30 years figures at my fingertips I cant prove it right now but as I say in 1987/88 the gap was not that big and the BBC was a low point back then, so post GMTV launch I'd expect the BBC to be ahead in all individuals ( maybe not in the key demos).,

Peter McHugh's assertions are equally suspect - he complains about axing competition revenue - I wonder why the relaunch was necessary?

From Attentional on Twitter:-

Should be interesting to see how much of a lift DOI gets by airing an hour later, and in one block. I thought it was quite a shrewd scheduling move by ITV, on the day the clocks went forward, to start it just as the sun set in most of the UK.

I can't recall what last year's final got, but I guess anything less than 10m in the overnights will raise eyebrows?

The WTD episode last night was a clunker, and awfully dull. I think somehow some WTD and Spooks scripts got mixed up somewhere along the lines! It may have struggled to get past 5m, and maybe even dropped below that - which would be a bit of an eek, but should timeshift ok I guess.

Dancing on Ice - 8.78m (33.2%)

You've overpredicted for Doi. Last year's final had 8.8m and the average prediction on the RPG was 8.9m.