Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about Torchwood. You're right, Torchwood is in 2nd place in that list (I've now updated it a few posts below). The Jury will most likely end up in 4th place.


Channel 5 isn't a 'digital channel' though. Almost the whole country gets it these days.

What about last year's Five Days on BBC1? That should actually be number 1.

The Jury has done alright, to be fair. I was a bit worried about it's prospects after the sharp drop on Tuesday - but it looks like that was broadly down to a drama clash with Death on Paradise that hurt both quite badly.

Also, while we're adding to that list, we ought to include Five Days (BBC1, Spring 2010) which would slot in either first or second on that list, I expect. The officials sent it into the high-7's, if I recall correctly, so overnights must have been pretty good.

There's been more of these stripped dramas than I realised!

Sorry about that- I hadn't realised there had been so many stripped dramas and had forgotten about that too!

So, here's how stripped dramas with at least 4 episodes have averaged in the overnights on BBC1 and ITV1 in the last few years (consolidated averages in brackets):

1 - 6.6m (7.8m) - Five Days (BBC1, 2010)
2 - 6.5m (7.5m) - Collision (ITV1, 2009)
3 - 5.9m (6.6m) - Torchwood (BBC1, 2009)
4 - 4.9m (5.2m) - Criminal Justice (BBC1, 2008)
5 - 4.8m (n/a...) - The Jury (ITV1, 2011)
6 - 4.6m (5.5m) - The Silence (BBC1, 2010)
7 - 4.5m (5.3m) - Father & Son (ITV1, 2010)
8 - 4.4m (5.7m) - Injustice (ITV1, 2011)
9 - 4.4m (5.0m) - Criminal Justice II (BBC1, 2009)

In the consolidated numbers, The Jury will most likely timeshift to around 5.8-6.1m and move into 4th place of that 'stripped drama' list. Worth noting, Collision wasn't shown on STV, if it had been, it would've been #1 with around 8.1m officially.

Big Brother did alright. Not brilliant. Not terrible. I don't think anyone will be celebrating at 5 HQ how this normal series has done.

Tamera Ecclestone did terribly to not even get 800l considering the 2 milllion lead in and free promotion through Harry Hill. Awful commission!

The Jury has held steadily throughout the week I notice and didn't flop which will be a sigh of relief for ITV.

Channel 4 lineup solid but unspectacular, but was easily the most entertaining programming last night.

Anyone know how Ch 4 Hollyoaks did last night? Just thinking with no E4 ep the night before whether it'll have had a little boost?

I was just thinking today, having seen the newspaper headlines regarding XF , what an amazing job the manipul-sorry PR people do for the show. Deciding to evict Frankie rather than just give him a dressing down the week after two people were thrown off and then bring back an already lost person (presumably that girl that was tipped to win) leaving the said Frankie to continue in his quest to have sexual relations with the whole of Britain without being tired out by in- vain attempts to hold a note.

Frankie is remarkable in that he will probably make a million living a rock star lifestyle without ever needing to make a record. Even Jagger had to make a record or two before it was acceptable to launch into the frenzy. I think this will be the true legacy of X Factor.

Oh and according to the Mirror "scoop" Louis Walsh is about to quit (for the 136th time).

The England game is only a friendly, but I expect 4 million to tune in. Don't think SCD will be that harmed by the fitba, as I don't think there's much of a crossover in audiences. I expect about 9.5 million for SCD, but I think tonight's winner will be you know who on ITV1 with 10.5 million.
TXF is down slightly this year but I am not writing it off. Any show which gets over 7 million in peaktime is a hit now.

Cynical!

But I can outdo that, you amateur.


I can image a production meeting between the auditions and the live shows:

"We've just discovered that Frankie is taking drugs. Let's pretend we don't know.

Now let's tell the mentors to each axe one of their acts without a public vote in the first live show. That will provoke controversy and f*** up the BBC because that's what happens at the start of The Voice so everyone will think they've copied us.

And let's order Kelly to axe Amelia cos she's the best so that'll provoke more controversy.

Then in a few weeks time we can "accidentally discover" that Frankie is taking drugs and chuck him off the programme.

Then we can invite the public to vote for one of the acts eliminated in week one to come back onto the show. And we can get our bum-chums in the tabloids to manipulate the thick, moronic viewers into voting back Amelia, the one we've already decided will win this series."


"Ooh, yes, an extra vote so we can make lots more money"


"No, no. We have to give the profits to Help For Heroes. Always nice to give some money to Help For Heroes then everyone can see what brilliant human beings we are raising cash for poor, under-priviledged solidiers and they'll forget about how we use and abuse and manipulate the contestants to boost our profits and line our pockets."

Double that, and stick a cherry on top!

At least in terms of peak, as the average clearly won't be that high - the likely 9m or so peak will probably come as the match draws to a climax.

Just when SCD starts.

Now I'm not the most streetwise of chaps (I was once...), but how exactly does an 18 year old teenager, catapulted from obscurity into the national gaze, but nevertheless living within the cocoon of the X Factor house and being whisked around here and there to events, living the z-lebrity lifestyle, by the show's producers, actually get hold of coke, go on benders, and shag around, without anyone on the production team having any control over it?

Or, being "in telly", are they all off their tits every night (as the popular TV industry stereotype would have us believe)?

Cynical old me...

Possible if word gets out this is a good game, but it's only a friendly and I'm sticking to an average of 4 million, with a peak of 5 million if it's a 0-0 bore, but possibly 8 million if it's 2-2 in the last minutes.

If the England B team are 3-0 down inside 30 minutes, then I imagine there will be a disproportionate switch on in Scotland and Wales...

Interesting comparing those programmes with last night's Big Brother final. In the 16-34 demo, the BB final was more popular than: Death in Paradise (both episodes), The Jury (all episodes), Doc Martin, Merlin, Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, You've Been Framed!, Celebrity Millionaire, Life Stories, 71 Degrees North, Antiques Roadshow, Countryfile, Celebrity Chase, Susan Boyle, and Joanna Lumley.

Pretty good really, although I appreciate you wouldn't expect some of the programmes above to do that well with the 16-34s.

They're allowed to go out. Even one of the judges was seen on a night out with a number of the contestants. And he doesn't strike me as someone who would have much difficulty getting his hands on the stuff anyway.

They've certainly managed to make something out of a dire situation anyway (M&S won't be renewing that contract next year!). But as I've said before, I suspect this whole series is too far gone for anything to make a difference now.

They wouldn't have anyway - M&S always does something different each year, next year will be no different.

I don't think it would put any other companies off partnerships with the show.

I guess it will be quickly forgotten (just like Frankie) so by next year it might not matter!

Like some of the singers, Jedward only keep going because of the reality circuit.

I don't watch X Factor so I only know Frankie from pictures in the papers and his 2 second apearance on the Marks & Spencer's advert, but he looks to me like the sort of teenager who would appear to be off his face on drugs even when he's not off his face on drugs.

Anyone this weekend last year the Saturday edition of TXF had 12.66m in the overnights (not sure if this includes ITV1 HD) so if it doesn't match that tonight, the producers' evil plan has failed epically and they will have to resign in disgrace.


All sarcasm aside, I despair at how some programmes seem to judge their success on the amount of column inches they get in the newspapers. And they're more than happy to exploit whoever who takes to acheive their aim. TV light entertainment producers today! Not one of them is fit to lick the boots of the late, great Bill Cotton. He must be spinning in his grave.

I can't help feeling it would have been better to split the profits 50/50 with the Legion's Poppy Appeal. I realise the show might not see that appeal as being as fashionable as HFH, but it is Remembrance Weekend, after all.

Think back, my son, to the glory days of Saturday night television when we had Basil Brush, Doctor Who, the Generation Game, Secret Army, The Two Ronnies and Parkinson in the same schedule, all shows that are still fondly remembered over 30 years later and often repeated today. These were shows that entertained 20 million people every Saturday night and make TXF ratings look puny.
However, there are still some good shows around and SCD would be something Bill Cotton would be very proud of and I'm sure Lew Grade would recognise some of the lavish production values in TXF from his own grandiose variety shows.

Channel 5 was never a digital-only exclusive channel, in fact it was a while before it launched on Sky at all. It is was advertised and launched as the nation's last analogue only service.

It could never be received properly in Cumbria and I think the fact only 70 pc of the population could receive it until the digital era hampered it. Sorry for being wrong about it being digital, although where I lived it could only be picked up digitally or through Sky.

Looks like the match kicked off on time. Hopefully there won't be as many injuries/fouls as it's a friendly? (Might be showing my ignorance of footie here...)

I agree the audience crossover is probably small, but there would be a floating audience who might make a modest but significant difference. So for BBC1's sake I'm hoping the Strictly/football clash is minimised and/or it is a dull match.

Friday 11th November - Soap Overnights
BBC One
13:45- Doctors: 1.67m (21.7%)
20:00- EastEnders: 8.05m (34.5%)

ITV1
19:00- Emmerdale: 7.04m (32.9%)
19:30- Coronation Street: 8.32m (37.2%)
20:30- Coronation Street: 8.24m (34.1%) , +1: 125k (0.5%)

Channel 4
18:30- Hollyoaks: 1.31m (6.3%)

Channel 5
13:45- Neighbours: 579k (7.5%)
17:30- Neighbours: 1.08m (6.3%)
18:00- Home and Away: 890k (4.6%)

BBC Three
22:00- EastEnders: 584k (2.8%)

E4
19:00- Hollyoaks: 435k (2%) , +1: 208k (0.9%)

Ratings include HD and are tape-checked where necessary

Source: DS