It's basically The X Factor with a Susan Boyle twist (the judges can't see if the person is ugly or hot). It's about as original as The X Factor was in 2004 - and I'd have been amazed if, 7 years ago, the BBC had bought The X Factor while ITV continued with Pop Idol.

Now that's fine - there's a lot of derivative stuff on TV. But I can't be bothered with the pretence that the BBC aren't up to it as well and it's just the commercial channels. The Voice is Danny Cohen's job application to be CEO of a major independent production company!

It's a shame it won't be launching January/February but don't forget that could be down to the Six Nations matches. Several will be in primetime on Saturdays.

Aren't they all a rip off from Pop Idol anyway? And that ripped off Popstars....and they all ripped off New Faces from the seventies!

I Don't think X Factor will beat last years Ratings. Some of the ratings last year were huge but i do think it will be the second most watched series in it's history and that would be great for the show.

The only senior name missing is Andrew Llinares who has gone to the US as showrunner. They've added 2 Exec Producers - Beth Hart from I'm A Celebrity and Mark Sidaway who has been Series Producer of X Factor since 2007.

All it takes is something tiny - a contestant with a sideline in prostitution was all the rage last year. Sadly, the dodgy folk all seem to be on Red or Black.

Indeed. Big Brother also has a big part to play in it all.

NBC were quite conscious of The Voice being so derivative of X Factor - to the point that they called Simon Cowell to let him know in their attempts to maintain that relationship. And of course, they asked Mark Burnett to get it on air as soon as was physically possible. Their new unscripted boss (a Brit, Paul Telegdy) was clear about wanting a similar talent show last year, even before they bought The Voice. Even ITV realised how similar they were and Channel 4 didn't bother bidding for that reason. Another stupid move by Jay Hunt, if it's OK for the BBC I don't see why it wouldn't be OK for Channel 4. And it's exactly what C4 could have done with.

Sounds like The Voice is going to be a Cowellesque freakshow, totally unbecoming of the BBC.

And to think the numpties at the Beeb preferred to put our money into this instead of a full season of award-winning, ratings-friendly, wide demographic F1 coverage...


Also, there's one Sunday tabloid less than a year ago, and whilst the other red tops have seen a surge in sales, there's still a huge number of people no longer reading a Sunday paper in the absence of the NOTW.

From what I saw, the NOTW seemed to go bigger on TXF every Sunday than the Mirror did. Might have an effect. Perhaps that's just wishful thinking on my part...


Well, thanks. Glad someone has!

So all those times I thought "well, it can't just be me as one of Britain's leading TV critics thinks the same", I may have subconsciously been influencing your thinking all along!

I might have "reproduced" one or two of your gags on here over the years, without ever thinking you might be reading. Hope you didn't mind...

"Doing a Countrywise" I think it's called in the trade.


Ooops, who mentioned Countrywise....? You've started him off again....

This X Factor producer - www.twitter.com/eddieevelynhall appears to now be working for The Voice on the BBC.

Also from www.twitter.com/rossproudfoot (an assistant producer) that X Factor USA will be on ITV2 every Thursday and Friday night, a day after broadcast on Fox.

Can I just say that originality is vastly overrated and I don't know why people are so obsessed with using it as a way of attacking shows or entire networks.


Please by all means criticise a show that hasn't even started filming yet for its content, lack of wide reaching audience appeal and inability to win awards. That makes perfect sense.

If The Voice turns out to be half as (a) good, (b) popular, (c) cherished, (d) value for money as the BBC's superlative F1 coverage, then I will eat my hat, your hat, and anyone else who'd care to send me a hat's hat...

Too hideous for The X Factor? Then The Voice is looking for you!

NB deformity must be tv friendly

I prefer to think of The Voice as a show for the less shallow. Bet a good looking person wins though.

I'd be willing to play this game if

(a) I thought there was any connection between the BBC's entertainment department buying a format and BBC sport not bidding ridiculous sums of money to keep F1 away from Sky.

(b) If The Voice was being set up as a replacement for F1 coverage.

Unfortunately neither of those is true.

They're two different shows (for lack of a better description) searching for two different audiences, in different slots, brought (or not) by different departments with two different agendas. I will however say that if you're going to insist on bitching about the content, popularity and quality of The Voice you should at least wait until that content has been filmed but preferably until its been aired.

Brilliant performances from Countryfile and George Gently on BBC One last night - to not just hold up, but actually prosper in a clash with TXF is remarkable - no matter how different their core demos might be. GG in particular seems to have grown into a really substantial drama for them. You'd expect that they'd want to increase the order at least a little if the core cast and crew are willing.

TXF itself did OK, but like everyone I thought we'd see the usual Sunday bump. Hardly a problem though, and I expect bootcamp will start the annual snowballing effect on its ratings as we head into the 'new' TV season.

One potential casualty of that new season looks like it could be BB on C5. Those are pretty worrying numbers and will probably have execs nervously manning their inboxes tomorrow morning as we see whether that figure is a blip or a trend. Perhaps we should have expected it, but I think many of us thought CBB's traditionally higher ratings had more to do with the usual January slot than the 'celebrity' aspect. But its looking like Jedward and co were working much harder for the shows numbers than we anticipated. Should be an interesting week, whatever your perspective on the show.


They never learn, do they? How many times are they going to have to watch a hyped Saturday night schedule falter through April - June before they realise its a bad idea? Saturday nights are an open goal in January - have been for years - but they keep stuffing them with Total Wipeout and Lottery Shows. Why?

The Voice (derivative as it may be) is clearly Cohen's big play at BBC LE. It's not going to make-or-break his reign, but its probably the most high-stakes move he's made so far and a lot of stick is heading his way if it fails. Why he would want to place it in inevitable media-driven combat with BGT is beyond me. Not when he could put it in the middle of a January - March schedule that seems to guarantee anything a 5m starter audience.

I have to say, I'm far from convinced about the potential success of the format. I don't know how the young-skewing nature of the show will fit BBC One's Saturday demographic (that was a problem for SYTYCD - the young audience it relies on in other countries simply took to it) and I think its much harder to sell it as unique vs TXF here than it was vs the outdated Idol in the US. It's going to need good personnel, good hosts, lots of promotion (Radio 1 is essential) and probably a good deal of luck…



And a good chunk / the majority of said money would have been spent, by necessity, plugging the black hole that is BBC One Spring Saturday nights in any case. A ratings sinkhole (further exacerbated by the likely absence of Doctor Who until later next year) that I'm sure your fine self would have been the first to criticise. I'm far from sold on The Voice (see my above reservations) but I'm not against BBC One actually spending some proper money on a real attempt to revive a flagging genre.

Saturday nights are easy. Bring back House Party (with or without Noel), Big Break, Pets Win Prizes and Bob's Full House for a start (admittedly, that would probably now have to be Nick Knowles' Full House, if indeed he doesn't end up presenting all of them...). Proper Saturday night entertainment shows, not yet another talent-reality borefest... :yawn:

Have to say, though, that I watched Epic Win for the first time this weekend. A perfectly respectable, and vaguely entertaining, harmless bit of fun - but wrecked by the car-crash, brick-at-TV-inducing co-host. WTF were the producers thinking? Why not just have Armstrong anchoring the show alone? His presence in the show, and particularly, on the trailers seems to have ruined something with no small degree of promise.



On Gently, I did read in one of the papers at the weekend that this may be the last appearance for the show as Danny Cohen isn't convinced it's the sort of thing he wants any more of. That'd be a shame with those ratings, but it may explain the limited run of 2 - a "toe in the water, bide your time" job?

Interesting officials for w/e 4 Sept vs same week last year:

BBC1, BBC2 and C4 all holding steady.

C5 up from 4.3% to 4.8%

ITV1 (inc +1) down from 17.6% to 15.5%

ITV1 (exc +1) down from 17.6% to 14.7%

Horrendous numbers for ITV1.

I found this part on the audition page interesting:


Looks like they don't want to go the freakshow X Factor audition route.

ratings

I had not realised F1 was watched by so many, dont get me wrong its still a waster of petrol, but I can see why there was a fuss about the partail move to Sky. I hope that Strictly Come Dancing: was a repeat.

Holding Out For a Hero, I think this maybe the latest victim of Red or Black, after a week of that flop, ITV viewers were not ready to give an ITV show a chance.


Co9/11 could have been a little higher.

Noooooo! You can't have the House Party without Noel. And Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Ripoff isn't what I meant.

Bob's Full House has been brought back several times and never been as good as the hosts just aren't Bob Monkhouse. One To Win with Andrew O'Connor was the first one. Then there was also Lucky Numbers with Shane Richie. Just not as good as the original. We do need another fun early evening Saturday quiz.
It's silly but I quite like it.
There'll be 2 more next year.

Except the shows which are actually entertaining the public on Saturday nights are talent shows. Which is why the BBC have bought The Voice.

The problem is that there is nowhere left for it to go and there's only so many singing variations you can do. I'd actually say that Saturday nights are one of the biggest challenges for channel controllers. Talent shows are all but tapped out. Gameshows just aren't working unless they're attached to the Lottery. And there's a lack of talent that can carry a show themselves.

BARB - Top 30 programmes (w/e 04-09-11)

01 - THE X FACTOR (SAT 2017) - 11.96m
02 - CORONATION STREET (MON 2030) - 9.44m
03 - CORONATION STREET (MON 1932) - 9.33m
05 - EASTENDERS (MON 2000) - 9.28m
05 - EASTENDERS (TUE 1929) - 9.11m
06 - NEW TRICKS (MON 2101) - 9.06m
07 - CORONATION STREET (SUN 2001) - 8.90m
08 - EASTENDERS (THU 1930) - 8.22m
09 - CORONATION STREET (THU 2031) - 8.20m
10 - EASTENDERS (FRI 1959) - 8.13m
11 - CORONATION STREET (FRI 1932) - 7.92m
12 - RED OR BLACK? (SAT 2120) - 7.54m
13 - EMMERDALE (MON 1901) - 7.54m
14 - CORONATION STREET (FRI 2029) - 7.51m
15 - EMMERDALE (THU 2000) - 7.21m
16 - EMMERDALE (TUE 1901) - 7.12m
17 - RED OR BLACK? (SAT 1902) - 7.11m
18 - INSPECTOR GEORGE GENTLY (SUN 2030) - 7.09m
19 - DOCTOR WHO (SAT 1901) - 7.07m
20 - EMMERDALE (WED 1902) - 7.06m
21 - BBC NEWS (MON 2200) - 6.73m
22 - EMMERDALE (THU 1901) - 6.73m
23 - EMMERDALE (FRI 1901) - 6.72m
24 - OUTNUMBERED (FRI 2059) - 6.11m
25 - RED OR BLACK? (SUN 2033) - 5.85m
26 - COUNTRYFILE (SUN 1930) - 5.71m
27 - 9/11: DAY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (THU 2102) - 5.62m
28 - APPROPRIATE ADULT (SUN 2101) - 5.58m
29 - WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (WED 2100) - 5.45m
30 - BBC NEWS (MON 1800) - 5.30m

(includes all HD)

Massive rise for Channel 5 year-on-year, just further underlines what a success Celebrity Big Brother was.

ITV1 really struggled, even with The X Factor back. You know things are bad when a Cops with Cameras repeat in the Tuesday FlopZone makes their top 30!

I don't think Red or Black is the next best thing or a load of shite either. The format is good but it wasn't executed that well. There were many problems. Most the stunts were dull and we didn't get to know the contestants well. I do agree it would've been better if it was done like a week long tournament with one guaranteed £1 million prize on the final day (like PokerFace) or have the show as a weekly or occasional event, like Live Celebrity Millionaire.

I don't think it's as good as Secret Fortune but it's not as terrible as Endemol's latest two flops, Don't Scare the Hare and The Marriage Ref.

I do wonder whether Channel 5 would rather have Celebrity Big Brother over Big Brother but I imagine the contract with Endemol means they have to show both.

Even though the BB rating is low, it was steady and didn't drop but I think they should have just aired CBB and saved BB for 2012.

Not sure where you get 17.6% from

Last year ITV1 SD 16.5%; HD 0.5% = 17.0%