An Idiot Abroad is doing really well for Sky1 - I can't remember the last time a show was consistently getting 1m+ overnights and c2m officials for them. A League of Their Own continues to do well for them and last week's Spy peaked at 540k and averaged 490k so it looks like there was hardly any drop-off. I'm glad as it's a really funny show and deserves to do well.

I have to say I'm really impressed with Sky1's recent comedy push. They're now on their third new sitcom in just over 2 months and they've got quite a few more coming soon. The 3 that have aired/are currently airing have all done pretty well and Trollied and Mount Pleasant have both been give extended recommissions. Admittedly Mount Pleasant wasn't very good but it's a start. Spy is easily the best of the 3 so far and I hope it also gets an extended recommission. It just shows that comedy can do well and a big comedy push can be done, and I think BBC1 and especially ITV1 can learn a lot from it.

Yeah loads of shops are open on Christmas Eve at 9pm.

Now I'm confused, I thought the reason ITV didn't put big shows on at Christmas was because they get no advertising revenue? If that were the case why would they put their biggest drama on a day they get no money for it?

I've read in the past that advertisers take the view advertising on Christmas Day is a waste of money because shops won't open until the day after Boxing Day by which time the advertising message is diluted..This year Christmas Day falls on a Sunday so there is an additional public holiday on the Tuesday to compensate for Boxing Day being on the Monday.Advertisers are also aware that whatever ITV screens the BBC takes the majority of the audience.

Friday 21st October Overnights
BBC One
20:30- Celebrity MasterChef: 2.68m (11.2%)
21:00- Have I Got News For You: 4.5m (18%)
21:30- Would I Lie To You?: 3.8m (15.9%)

BBC Two
20:00- Gardeners World: 2.02m (8.6%)
20:30- Autumnwatch Live: 2.09m (8.6%)
21:30- Autumnwatch Unsprung: 1.53m (6.4%)

ITV1
20:00- Wild Britain with Ray Mears: 2.82m (12%)
21:00- DCI Banks: 4.64m (19%) , +1: 222k (1.2%)

Channel 4
20:00- Come Dine With Me: 1.28m (5.4%) , +1: 146k (0.6%)
21:00- Derren Brown: The Experiments: 1.8m (7.4%) , +1: 275k (1.5%)
22:00- Pete Versus Life: 680k (3.4%)

Channel 5
20:00- Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads: 1.51m (6.4%)
21:00- Big Brother: Live Eviction: 1.6m (6.6%)
22:00- The Bachelor: 1.29m (6.9%)
23:00- Big Brother: Eviction Interview: 1.25m (9.3%)
23:30- Big Brother's Bit On The Side: 580k (6.4%)

ITV2
21:00- The X Factor USA: 829k (3.8%)

Sky 1
21:00- An Idiot Abroad: 1.09m (4.5%)

Primetime Shares
ITV1: 21.6%
BBC One: 19.7%
BBC Two: 7.1%
Channel 5: 5.3%
Channel 4: 5.2%

Ratings include HD and are tape-checked where necessary

Source: DS

at that rating for Pete vs Life! That is absolutely appalling. I remember the first series got c1.5m in a Big Brother sandwich last year, so I expected it to be around the million mark last night, but that is dire. I notice DS hasn't reported the 8 Out of 10 Cats rating, I hope it wasn't dragged down too much by the lead in. Derren Brown did fairly well though.

Elsewhere DCI Banks finishing on a series high will please ITV. Overall the series has averaged 4.2m (4.4m inc +1) in the overnights. Considering it has grown across the run and has aired on a Friday, I think it'll be back. HIGNFY seems to have collapsed a bit in the last 12 months - no episode this year has broken the 5m mark in the overnights which must be a bit concerning for them. Perhaps moving it back to Fridays wasn't the best idea after all. WILTY is doing better after HIGNFY than it did after Outnumbered, and they'll probably keep it as 9:30pm filler at that level. Very good night for C5, The Bachelor has been really consistent for them and Ice Road Truckers did very well to beat the tired Come Dine With Me at 8pm.

Im starting to believe that is the case. Cowell is in LA and doesnt have the time to manufacture any new scandal so they are just using the lower ratings to get the headlines. A front page is a front page after all.

I would be surprised if DCI Banks is not recommissioned, for a drama, it can't be that expensive for them compared to other dramas.

I'm surprised Pete vs Life rated so low. It had a pretty good lead-in and the show itself isn't that bad either! I imagine 8 Out of 10 Cats must've been dragged down due to that lead-in, maybe around 1m last night (exc +1)?


Have I Got News For You has definitely lost some steam in the ratings this year. I know it has a repeat which brings in about 2m but it's had that 2m-rated repeat for the last few years and it's usually been a 5-6m performer for them in the past. I suppose after all these years, its ratings were bound to drop below 5m consistently at some point, with show fatigue settling in. It still does a decent job in a difficult slot but because it's no longer a 5m+ rated show, it makes it all the more harder for the 9.30pm shows, especially scripted shows, to succeed. WILTY is retaining a good portion of that audience at the moment but if they put something like The Royal Bodyguard in that slot in the next month, it'll find it difficult getting good ratings by starting half way through all other channels' programming and just the mid-4m lead-ins rather than mid-5m lead-ins HIGNFY was capable of providing a couple of years ago.


Channel 5 will be delighted by how steady the Bachelor has been this series. That rating last night was its 2nd best of the entire series, only behind the first episode. I imagine there'll be a rise next week for the finale which could pull in a series high rating. Also the fact that its share built on the BB share before it probably indicates that it could hold up alright without the BB anyway, which will be important going ahead in the future with the show.

HIGNFY need another Brian Blessed episode. That was hilarious.

HIGNFY works in two ways, it can work from using the news, and it can work using a very funny host.

I agree that Pete vs Life is pretty good and I don't get why it did so badly. Putting 8 Out of 10 Cats at 10:35pm is ridiculous so it's probably a bit lower than usual anyway, but with that lead in and the return of Graham Norton last night I won't be surprised if it was sub-1m.


If they're really confident about The Royal Bodyguard and if it is airing this Autumn I think they should give it loads of promotion and put it at 9pm with HIGNFY at 9:30pm, as if they air them the other way around The Royal Bodyguard won't be able to get much more than 4-4.5m or so, whereas if they air it at 9pm it could get 5m+ and in turn could boost HIGNFY a little. Having said all that is The Royal Bodyguard definitely airing this Autumn? Live At The Apollo is back on 4th November so there won't be room for The Royal Bodyguard unless LATA moves. I think they should repeat the Come Fly With Me scheduling with it and start it on Xmas Day, continuing on NYD and running it through January. The problem with airing it this Autumn is that it'll be against I'm A Celebrity which will automatically dent it.

Good idea regarding The Royal Bodyguard. I think it is airing this Autumn as IIRC David Walliams, who is in it, tweeted that it was beginning in November. I think BBC1 are scheduling Live at the Apollo as filler for a couple of weeks before Children in Need to bridge the gap. I then expect The Royal Bodyguard to launch on Friday 25th November, which is the week after Children in Need. You're right that airing a couple of episodes against IAC will prevent it from reaching its potential ratings-wise but I think it still could do fine if scheduled and promoted well (9pm) because there's still plenty of viewers who don't like IAC and we saw a couple of years ago how a comedy like Gavin & Stacey was pulling in 5m+ overnights against IAC.

I think The Royal Bodyguard will go on Thursday nights, in the 9pm hour.

Only just beat A League of Their Own on Sky1.

How did The Walking Dead season two premiere do on FX, also at 10pm?

I definitely think it should do well for at least its first couple of episodes (after that it depends on the quality), but I'm not sure whether they'll interrupt Live At The Apollo, and I think that show will stay on Fridays (meaning it'll end on 23rd December). I think Pizza could be right about it airing on Thursdays at 9pm. I hope it does as that's the slot Gavin and Stacey aired in a couple of years ago and did well in. Also I'm not sure if Friday is the right day for comedies on BBC1, particularly a new one, looking at the disappointing numbers Outnumbered and HIGNFY have received there recently (My Family might even have done a little better on another night). So I think it'll go on Thursdays at 9pm with something else at 9:30pm (shame The Impressions Show has gone on Wednesdays as it could do OK there) with HIGNFY and LATA remaining on Fridays.

Good stuff for Sky1. They really are making an effort with homegrown stuff, and to an extent, it is reaping its rewards nicely.

I think they would have scheduled the leftover Would I Lie to You compilation on November the 4th if they just wanted something to keep the Friday slot warm for Bodyguard.

Yeah I think so too, I doubt they'd start a brand new series of Live At The Apollo just to fill the slot for 2 weeks.

Some main ratings missing so far - Could not find Eastenders, Coronation Street x 2, Emmerdale or Graham Norton Show. I realise DS may not be able to do a Soaps ratings round up on a Saturday, maybe GN will surface for the DSRPG.

The Cube is back next Sunday

also, there's a drama called 'The Jury' going to be on ITV1 7th - 11th November at 9pm

here's the press release from March http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press...y/default.html

I was somewhat surprised it got a recommission (same with Phone Shop too), but C4 just need to sort out their schedule when it comes to comedy as sticking them alone in the schedules does nobody any favours (even if Derren Brown is traditional C4 Friday night fodder).

Ignore. Just saw The jury is being stripped all week. Hope it does well for ITV.

Did you read that article by Mark Lawson (AKA Complete Tit), in the MG who thinks it's a remake, plot and all?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-rad...he-jury-lawson

I wonder why BBC have treated Celebrity Masterchef so badley. I thought before it was getting at least 4m +.

Could Channel 4 or Channel 5 make a bid for it or is it a BBC Made program?

Its a Sky show (well Shine is owned by Sky now isn't it?)