when it comes to Sherlock the sooner the better

Strictly's actually down on last year; just not to the extent that The X Factor is hence pratically everyone is ignoring it. I think The X Factor's decline is more behind TV Burp's drop off - it has less of a lead out and is suffering for it.

I'm surprised to see it hit to such an extent by Bonfire night but it's still a great share and it should bounce back next week. The X Factor did well to hold on to last week's audience and that should be the sign of the show turning the corner and finding some momentum as it enters the second half of the competition. They just need the right acts to go tonight.

The Chase did very well relatively speaking the early evening slot and Piers Morgan did ok after the X Factor but surely with that lead in programmes should be doing better? Merlin and Casualty seemed to suffer ever so slightly, which can't be blamed on the fireworks considering The X Factor held up against last week. The National Lottery Awards Show seems such a pointless filler programme and it struggled.

Dad's Army pulled in another good figure for BBC Two and Big Brother went through it's usual Saturday dip. I'll be interested to see what Channel 5 are more eager to avoid next year - the Olympics which could have late running events; Euro 2012, which could have knockout matches running beyond 10pm; or The X Factor - though if they schedule right they should be able to air after it finishes. Channel 4 had a poor night.

How far in advance are the previews? How about Sherlock's three-part series to go out December 18th, December 25th and January 1st?

"Christmas slot" means somewhere across the two week period, not specifically Christmas Day.


One way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone!

Surely the reason the X Factor held up was because there was no clash with Strictly this week. Anyone got the X Factor episode low for this week and last week?

They announced that a few days Caitlin Moran is hosting the night I think. I still say it's back on New Year's Day.

Thinking about it does anyone have a break down for last week's X Factor, please? I think it started around the 7m mark, didn't it?

You could class Angels as a soap, as it was a twice weekly drama set in a hospital and ran for eight years. However, Auntie never saw it as such and in those days Coronation St( never Corrie) was referred to as a serial.

It was a sad decline for them on ITV. Amazing how far their ratings dropped from their heyday and this was before multichannel TV.

The Two Ronnies on the other hand had very good ratings across their entire BBC run.

Their last series was hopeless and was basically M and W in a flat writing scriots. They did have some decent moments, like their 1980 series when they took off the Jungle Book, but nowhere near as much success on ITV as BBC1. However, their little remembered shows for ATV in the sixties were classics and as popular as the seventies BBC shows and they were so big in the sixties as to go into films.

Their return to ITV for the late seventies and early eighties is a pretty sad story all around. People say Eric was ill in one year or another, but I suspect he was ill the whole time, and even before they left the BBC. He seemed to go further and further downhill, to the point where I don't think he should have been working at all, on television or on stage.

And, to make the whole thing even worse, for a number of reasons, they didn't do anything worth remembering in those last few years, anyway.

Well the ratings tell the story, 28 million for their last BBC1 Christmas show and 11 million for their last ITV Christmas show and their last series being scheduled on Border against Dallas. However, their first eight years at ITV on ATV were a huge success and they attracted 20 million fans.

What matters most is that ratings are exciting, shows are getting 7-8-9-10 million viewers often and even new shows like Frozen Planet are getting well deserved ratings. I would like to see The Royal Bodyguard rating something like 9m over Christmas, also Sherlock would do very well 8m+, especially The Hound of the Baskervilles.


It looks like several of the above shows will improve by the end of 2011, EE is good for 12m over Christmas - CS will likely not be overtaken though. SCD looks like it could pass 11m in the officials very soon.

Just a quick question about "peak" figures and +1. I assume when a combined peak figure including +1 is quoted, it means for the same point within a programme (so say 9.30pm on ITV1, 10.30pm on ITV1+1) rather than the figures at the same time (so 9.30pm on ITV1, 9.30pm on ITV1+1).

True, there was Owen MD as well that was on twice a week, but again, not really a soap.

The BBC's only real soap of that era was Pobol Y Cym on BBC Wales, which I assume went out in the evenings? It was sometimes on daytime on BBC One with subtitles.

Really interesting to see all the X Factor contestants popping up on the Marks and Spencer Christmas advert, and a big M&S competition on the show - but why are ITV still reluctant to fill The X Factor with product placement?

I think its bizarre - the show is outrageously commercial - its hard to imagine a show better suited to it. Yet still they've failed to have a single piece of product placement in it. I just don't get it.

Think its a toes dipping in water kind of thing.

Corrie will have the first use of PP with a Nationwide cashpoint in Dev's shop. Reckon it'll be very gradual, but end up everywhere.

I think it means the same point within a programme. Unless it's ITV1's peak + ITV1 +1's peak?

I think X- Factor could be hitting its stride now. Frankie Cocozza has suddenly exploded all over social networking, and the controversy surrounding him could get some bums on seats.

Well it successfully crashed DS, or rather, malformed the layout a lot.

Thanks Steve for a typically comprehensive answer!


If ITV airs the DA Special on or before Christmas Day, then that does open up the possibility of a Boxing Day debut for Sherlock against limited ITV competition and ahead of a potential NYD clash with Young Morse.

I don't suppose ITV might be tempted to split DA into two one hour episodes, to cause maximum annoyance for the Beeb? (eg, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, or Sunday 18th and Christmas Day?)

Talking of DA, can't believe what BBC1 have put up against it tonight. Are they mad or do they genuinely want DA to get its highest ever audience tonight and win new first time viewers ahead of a Christmas episode which currently looks like it's going to be lobbed like a hand grenade at BBC1's biggest night of the year?

Even a New Tricks repeat would have been better than a Macintyre repeat! The BSI lives on...

I agree. For me The Risk leaving the competition was one of the biggest ever XF shocks. Even Frankie himself seemed shocked to go through. Then despite Kitty being voted through there were so many 'Vote Johnny' cheers.

Now I'd like to see someone produce some ratings for Pobol y Cwm. Apparently my Welsh friends tell me it's a bit like a Welsh language Take the High Road.
Interesting fact- in its heyday Take The High Road was as popular in Scotland as Coronation St. Border used to show it in peak time until 1997, partly due to the fact they covered the Scottish Borders. However, this rather slow show fell victim to demographics, STV research revealed the average age of TTHR was 70 and young Scots found it as appealing as a re run of the White Heather Club.

Does anyone know what ITV have got lined up for the 9pm slots in the 3 weeks between I'm a Celeb ending and Christmas?

Does anyone know what they showed at 9pm last year as there doesn't seem to be enough time to show a new drama series unless they have some short 3 parters/2 nighters ready?

In my mind, it'd be better to run I'm a Celeb one week later than they do, but as it's been the same weeks for years now, I imagine they've done their calculations of what are the optimum weeks.

EDIT: I've just realised one week last year was the Corrie 50th week.

I'm tempted to agree, but it just might be a clever bit of counter-scheduling.

Not everyone 'gets' Downton, and I imagine McIntyre would appeal to a younger, male demographic. The fact that it's a repeat won't help though. This demo might go for Gavin and Stacey on BBC3 or even Big Brother instead.

Will be interesting to see the figures tomorrow!