That will simply be the software making assumptions based on the limited data there is. It's trying to be clever by filling in blanks left by the broadcasters, that's all. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't, but within a sensible timeframe it is the best TV guide out there.

Hilarious. You should apply for Series 2 of Show Me The Funny, you'd probably win.

I think the person who commissioned series two should win.

It will, they revealed the Christmas number one on the Christmas Pops in 1988, 1994 and 2005, indeed in 1994 it was even promoted as being the first place to find out. I always think that if Pops ever came back as a weekly thing, it would have to be on Sundays and it would have to reveal the number one first, it's far more important than Pops than it is for Radio 1 and it would give it an obvious USP. Radio 1 could do it at the same time if they wanted.


Heh, of course the reason BBC2 was running at those odd times is because the tennis overran.


Back in the days when you had to buy both the Radio and TV Times and nobody else could publish listings, in 1982 there was a magazine called TV Choice which promited to be an all-channel TV guide, which it did by simply guessing what might be on, and closed after about three weeks. I'd love to see a copy of that, actually.

on the weekly BARB numbers I'm surprised there has been no comment on Five dropping below 4% share -3.9% must be some sort of a record low?

It's not. 3.7% is the lowest. But thanks for caring.

Thanks - perhaps they only have access to a certain number of movies or something. I know ITV have the rights to some of Disney's older movies (Alice In Wonderland, Dumbo etc) so maybe Aladdin has joined that package.

We don't hear much about film rights which is a shame as they're interesting, so when I saw that I wondered what was going on. A nice choice of movie for Christmas lunchtime anyway, and much more appropriate for the slot than Harry Potter and The Order of The Pheonix which was there on Friday's update. The Potter movie should actually do OK against the Strictly final.

LOL. No "BREAKING NEWS" banner. So when was this 3.7% share then?

Back in January.

ITV1 hit a record low more recently, unsurprisingly to little comment from you.

I think it was pretty obvious 5 would record a poor share for that week considering what happened on the Wednesday and Friday. No breaking news banner required.

Aladdin could be a repeat of the ITV panto they show every year. The Dark Knight isn't airing which makes me wonder whether theyre saving it to be shown in July when the new film is out,

you are right - they dropped to 3.7% in W1 between Christmas and New Year last year so that gives them something to aim for in the next few weeks.

I doubt it'll be the panto as those pantos have been kept strictly on ITV2 only for years, so I'm sure it'll be the film.

I'm a bit surprised that they aren't showing The Dark Knight, although you could be right, particularly as they'll need stuff the fill the gap between Euro 2012 and the Olympics and that'd help (probably alongside a repeat of Batman Begins).

Sports Personality Of The Year - the final 10
Mark Cavendish (evens fav), Darren Clarke (2/1), Mo Farah (8/1), Rory McIlroy (10/1), Luke Donald, Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Dai Greene, Amir Khan, and Andy Murray.

..not forgetting the overnight ITV2 airing for those home late from clubbing!!

I wouldn't bet on it...

Mentioned as late as yesterday! Though you probably wish it hadn't!



Is it 1995 again

However, dear old ITV1 does seem to be beyond criticism for some people, same as no one dares take on or criticise some of their shows, yet sneering at a channel that does its best on a limited budget and has a loyal audience for its shows is OK. It's not that I'm anti ITV, it's just it's the way its defenders, like the BBC, can be so aggressive.

A travesty if Cav doesnt win.

Not a good night for GeorgeS on the thread - two of his least favourite (and in his world irrelevant) subjects, the festive schedules and now SPOTY!

Have ITV got anything strong in January apart from Dancing On Ice?

Erm, dunno about strong, but at a guess. I expect we'll see some of this :

Wild at Heart
Law & Order UK
Endeavour (Morse prequel)
Primeval
Take Me Out
The Exit List
The Biggest Loser

Not sure what they have in terms of new drama, Eternal Law I think.

how about Whitechapel?

Yes forgot about that, possibly. It's a 6 parter this time.

Is there a new Above Suspicion ?

Oh and I hope they don't put The Biggest Loser in the Monday 9pm slot again.

wikipedia suggests its a 3x2 parter

Above Suspicion has a new series based on Silent Scream, I wonder why it's only three episodes a year rather than say 6 episodes or 4 2 hour episodes.

Wonder if Young James Herriot like Endeavour is being eyed as a potential series should the three episodes do well. BBC One also have Birdsong which seems to be MIA as it's 2x90m, think it'll air in the New Year after Sherlock finished its run.

So tomorrow's D-Day in the Christmas schedules day - the biggest day in a scheduler's year! The BBC1 team have got a lot of work to do to make sure they make the best of the good line-up of programmes. Boxing Day needs attention, but difficult to know exactly what to do with Corrie at 9.

They need to improve on what they've got though and not cave in to the ITV soaps - they should remember they're far weaker than they've ever been. Christmas Day needs lots of work too, be interesting to see how the final schedules pan out.

Just hope ITV don't drop a nasty surprise like they sometimes do - I remember a few years ago they suddenly moved all Corrie's for the fortnight from 7.30 to 8.30 and threw the BBC schedules into chaos.