Anyone find it hysterical Simon Cowell is having to endure being watched by fewer people than Gary Barlow on The X Factor despite the minute size of our country in comparison to the US?

Re: Soap scheduling, Corrie's never worked on Thursday because it's simply not symmetrical and a logical schedule. Monday, Thursday and Friday doesn't make sense, and the fact that Thursday is the only night it doesn't air two episodes make it seem even more unusual.

Back to Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday - with one double a week, on Monday or Friday. I'd keep Monday's double and put comedy on Friday at 8.30pm.

Yes it's so funny.

The way things are going though he'll be back in the UK Next year

Even though it's Friday, those still seem like pretty poor performances by the big soaps. They must be suffering some real year-on-year declines at the moment?


There was. I could easily think of five or six simple steps that would immeasurably improve things. To his credit, Danny Cohen appears to have had them really re-think the whole production under the "if its worth doing, do it properly" mantra. The noises made by McMullen in the DS article on his appointment all sound rather positive:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/...len-hosts.html

I still think there's a fundamental awkwardness about the celebrity element though. You take great tricks from great magicians, and then stop them being as good as they should be by plonking a celebrity on stage desperately trying to get involved. Makes it look like anyone can do it - which rather destroys the mystique.

Still, at least they're obviously adding scale and the live element - an attempt to make it something of an 'event'. It's definitely whats needed if it's going to break out of that 5-6m range

obviously its easy to see why fans appreciate a regular time slot, however im pretty sure, that it has been regular in its Wednesday airings, so why some fans never made that switch I dont know.

I know if EE moved an episode to another day, I could cope with that.

SCD have Russell Grant, Harry Judd, and Jason Donovan clashing with The X Factor again.
Some people might not think that's a coincidence.

It seems orphaned along with the Emmerdale 8.00 episode. I am of the opinion that once Coronation St moves back to Wednesday, the orphan Emmerdale episode should be dropped as this doesn't rate as well as the 7.00 episode. Ideally the two soaps should start at their traditional times.
However, the BBC busting schedule I've proposed for Friday nights of Emmerdale, Corrie and TXF would prove very difficult to beat.

Actually I'm starting to sound like an ITVista

That is wrong. The Thursday 8pm Emmerdale almost always outrates the 7pm episode

By the way, there have been 6 episodes per week of Emmerdale since 2004 and 5 episodes per week of Coronation Street since 2002/2003. You talk as if extra episodes keep appearing every year when in reality the number of episodes has been the same for almost a decade now.

You need to stop with these suggestions that the number of episodes should be dropped, it isn't going to happen, ever.

Sorry, but it will stick out when Coronation St is moved.

However, you must agree, or maybe not, that my killer ITV1 schedule for autumn 2012 with TXF at 8.30 on a Friday would be a massive hit. I do think rejigging the Coronation St days would help and I am NOT suggesting and never will that the big two soaps should be axed unless they really start to tank in the ratings.

I'll be interested to see what happens tonight with Merlin and Casualty running back-to-back without the 'buffer' of the Lottery inbetween. Could Casualty get a slight boost from the lead-in?

You can ask the question all you like but the ratings arent going to get published any quicker, its not like anyone is waiting to be asked to post them.

The ratings always get posted in this thread very shortly after they are released elsewhere or reported by DS themselves. If they are delayed someone always mentions it, it is also a Saturday and ratings are often posted later at the weekend.

agreed it seems very odd for the Lottery to be on.

A very intense episode of Merlin tonight, dont know if that will hurt or help Casualty, on the one hand it keeps viewers in their seats, in the other, some might have switched off after Merlin ended, to recover and possibly have a small cry in the corner.

A true statement but one that looks very negative towards C5 and Big Brother after a relatively strong performance for them.


Quite the opposite to Red or Black then!

Good call - and I bet they'd get the 80+ episodes of a proven hit drama for less than just the first series of any US drama.

Back to The X Factor and it's a good job the new judging panel is really working this year because the acts themselves are definately below par this year.

Ah, okay. Doh.


In fact, for the past few weeks the 7pm episode has actually outrated the 8pm episode.

Im sure it isnt a coincidence. At the end of the day, there has always been a keen rivalry between BBC and ITV. Im sure executives at the Beeb dont have meetings designed around how they can maximise X Factors viewing figures-or any other ITV show for that matter.
And we should be glad they dont-or this thread would be pretty boring I reckon.

Unlike some I have no grasp of the stats, but they do seem poor. Certainly they are not the certs they used to be.

That was also a few years ago now and it produced 12 episodes so I'm not sure its the best example in the world.


It varies from show to show and who, if anyone, is interested in it and how early the buyer gets in. If you're willing to take a punt on a pilot before any more episodes have been produced let alone aired you can make some brilliant deals and the upper hand can be with the buyer.


I haven't been following the buying this year so I could be mistaken but I believe the following dramas are still without a UK home

Revenge
Once Upon A Time
Unforgettable
Person of Interest
A Gifted Man
Hart of Dixie

Of those I'd think Revenge or Hart of Dixie would fit best with E4 and both have a back 9 order. In general I think Channel 4 would be advised to make a play for Revenge. I'm also intrigued to see if anyone bites on Once Upon A Time which still looks like an incredibly tough sell to me.

On top of all that there's the midseason offerings with the likes of Smash, Awake, The River, Missing, Scandal, The 2-2, Alcatraz and Touch. After the success of Glee 4 should probably take a look at Smash and think about running it on the main channel.

Of course if I'm a E4 I'd probably be looking at buying in some more comedies rather than dramas. Suburgatory feels like a good fit for E4 as does Up All Night and again both of those have back 9 orders.


I doubt it.

The X Factor US might not be as big as expected but its still big and still powering Fox to a Fall victory. The bottom will really have to fall out of the show for them not to renew it.


I agree that they should ditch the celebrity element - it doesn't work.

In general I think a format of a group of magicians competing with one another each week to perform the biggest and most spectacular trick is all the show really needs to be.

they may never be aired, but it possible Chariles Angels filmed 12 episodes.

That said I struggle to believe that contracts dont come with the kind of clause suggested.

Don't know if this is true but i read on another fourm that snow is forcast for Monday. If that's true we could see massive ratings?

I wouldnt go getting your hopes up.

The Big Freeze is on according to the main headline on the front of the Daily Express today, I expect that is where it has come from.

In reality there will be a light snow fall lasting 10 mins in the Shetland Islands.

These sorts of discussions have already occured in my workplace. Someone comes in saying 'I've heard snow is forecast', suddenly very few question it and start to panic assuming said snow will be 10 feet across the whole country!

It's an honest statement - it was better for Big Brother but would Channel 5 have been expecting that? No, not at the start of the franchise on the channel.

I think it's just about stabilising the show for the rest of the series and see what they can do for next year.

Turning colder next week with a few wintry showers for the far NW of Scotland on Wednesday, is closer to the mark.

www.meto.gov.uk

Anyway back on topic, would it be possible when the Wales France ratings came out to show how many viewers in Wales saw the game,