In Glee's defence that was the post-Super Bowl episode so it was never going to hit those highs again. Excluding the Super Bowl episode its highest total audience is 13.6 million for the first regular season episode to air out of Idol and then 13.5 million for the Britney Spears episode last year. Its always skewed very young.

Precisely. It went out after the Superbowl in the hope it would get a big audience and bring new people to the show. Didn't quite happen and the only show that's benefited from it in recent years was Grey's Anatomy. Now will The Voice be more like Grey's or Glee when it follows The Superbowl?

its certainly possible.


I dont read any of the red tops.


cosy is another word for small, I didnt miss the small studio set. That said the flying out of a canon thing, as a dance number is not something we should encourage.

With Doctor Who - even the BBC, bizarrely!

I don't think The X Factor will pull ahead in the finals this weekend; as I posted earlier the gap's bigger than last time and it only managed to overtake Strictly including plus 1 last time after Strictly won the overnights.


Yet now the non-ITV press have gone reasonably quiet on the show which is a real concern for both ITV1 and Syco. They need impetus now, and people to be talking about it. As it is, it's going ominously quiet. It reminds me of how the press started to drop off talking about Big Brother and that was dropped by Channel 4.

I'm not saying X Factor is anywhere near that stage, but it's a concern.


Russell leaving may not be the best thing for Strictly but I think they wanted him out, hence the introduction of the cannon (I'm sure that was not Flavia's idea!) It's got The X Factor clash to deal with, so I expect Harry to dance last...it may be down slightly next week but not terribly.

Not necessarily; for me the Tower Ballroom is cosy but isn't small as it's purpose built for ballroom dancing. The show fits perfectly there and Blackpool adds to it rather than overpowers the show as I feel Wembley did.

The publicity and promotion X Factor gets is frequently cited as a reason for its success. So I think it reasonable to put the same argument to Strictly.

I don't recall you, in the weeks where X Factor has won this year (most of them), giving out too much praise! Because what we each determine as quality varies. Plus, the quality of an individual show usually determines the ratings it will get next week, not the next morning.


I've not said anything yet but the most I would say is that they put on a much promoted special episode from Wembley which appears to have pulled in viewers.

There's not much else I can say - I didn't watch it. It could have been awful for all I know. But commenting that better promotion or hype has brought in ratings isn't necessarily a criticism or even grudging praise. In fact, I praised their PR last year - Ann Widdecombe was never out of The Daily Mail or The Daily Express. I've praised X Factor for it in the past as well. Rather than knocking them for using the press, it's good work, IMO. For X Factor targeting younger viewers, I think it's increasingly important to have that kind of buzz. And it's not just about the tabloids now, it's about generating online discussion as well.

I think by doing Wembley (or Blackpool) midseries, they get a lift that they otherwise wouldn't have had (whereas a final is going to get increased interest anyway). I think they've been able to create a special episode drawing on Children in Need and set at Wembley which has been something that they can hype and promote to bring in more viewers. That's good producing, IMO. It might sound grudging, but it's meant to be a good thing.

Unless I've watched it, I can't come on here and chat to Glenn A about how classy and upmarket it all feels to see a heavy, elderly, female parliamentarian dragged across a ballroom floor while a gaggle of desperate Z list celebrities looks on and laughs.

(OK, so the last bit was maybe a wee bit grudging! )


I'm sure GeorgeS would be delighted to have some discussion on EastEnders and any ratings woes it is experiencing!

Are the soaps in general down much? I know they're down, but I'm not aware of significant declines?

I agree. Strictly looked spectacular. With the lighting, direction it looked stunning and the openings to both shows were something special.

but even with the increased amount of publicity, it doesn't get anywhere near as much as X-Factor normally does.


I dont care to praise it, I dont see it deserves anything.

I just think that people are putting too much or Strictlys ratings down to publicity, when IMO it was the Wembley setting

The only reason people knew the show was coming from Wembley was because the BBC and the press promoted that it was - in other words, publicity.

I agree it can sustain a decent level without press attention. The X Factor did ok after a week of reasonable calm in the press about it. But I know which show I'd back in lasting longer without the tabloid glare.

Valid point about the Tower Ballroom. But I think the Wembley show really pushed Strictly up a notch. It was impressive to look at and had real wow factor. I've NEVER seen The X Factor and felt it looked small until this weekend.

It was slightly after the Lord's Mayor Show wasn't it? I'm sure Strictly will suffer the same fate on semi final weekend, when The X Factor comes from Wembley though that will have the benefit of going first so the comparison won't be so vivid.

There was the wow factor, but for me I think more was lost than gained.

I think The X Factor courts the press and is bigger tabloid fodder for them than Strictly. Even with Wembley week I'm not sure Strictly got anywhere near the level of promotion that The X Factor usually does.


I'm thinking more of the press that do that. The cool reporters that don't think Strictly is as good as The X Factor and when Strictly does well they find excuses for it. Strictly has been a better show this year and it's just fun without the nastiness The X Factor revels in.

That’s not why Glee aired out of the Super Bowl but generally this is the popular misconception with the post-Super Bowl slot. The truth is that networks very rarely use it to attract new audiences to a show because it doesn’t work. Glee (like 95% of post-Super Bowl shows in modern times) was put in the slot because it was Fox’s biggest show and allowed them to charge the highest ad rates. Super Bowl Sunday is all about making as much money as you possibly can and for the record that is primarily why The Voice is airing out of the Super Bowl this time around – NBC don’t have anything that can even come close to it in terms of ad rates.

And just for the record Grey’s Anatomy didn’t get a mind blowingly big ‘Super Bowl bump’ nor did it sustain it. It settled back into the 20-22 million range that it had proven itself capable of hitting before the Super Bowl episode with only big special episodes really breaking that trend. If any show over the past decade or so has benefited from the Super Bowl lead-in its Undercover Boss.

Of that there is no doubt. But what I mean is The X Factor comes from the largest studio in the country and as good as TVC1 is, it does come across as small compared to The X Factor.

The last couple of series, Strictly has managed to look great with the various lighting arrangements and screen displays. Visually it has a richer palette than The X Factor and looks better. Quite an achievement for a show in TVC1 to look better than a show from Fountain Studios. This weekend was the first time The X Factor felt small compared to Strictly. Even when Strictly came from Blackpool it felt cosy rather than amazing.

yes Strictly.

Also on the subject of me praising X-Factor, I seem to recall being a gentleman about the power cut.

The X Factor relies on the press to fuel hype and hype the series. Strictly Come Dancing has had less and is doing all right. Of course they both have hype but it is usually enormous for The X Factor.

They always have this problem with CIN weekend when TC1 has to be rigged and derigged at a time SCD would want it for rehearsals. I recall they used TC8 (which is a smaller studio) once but that didn't work.The BBC's biggest studio is actually Studio 1 at Salford which is 12,000 sq ft - just an idea.

Today is World Television Day

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/11/...ision-day.html


I wish you all a Happy World Television Day, and I hope we can all make the most of it.

I've always thought Iceland had the right idea - when TV started there in 1966 it did not broadcast on Thursdays to allow people to spend time with their families and friends without the interruption of the box in the corner

ITV does the same on Tuesdays....

but what day should we have? I voted Wednesday,

On thread mentions and i wasnt even online

we all missed you

well i do have that effect on people

that, and I needed an example of a known EastEnders fan.