The Ratings Thread (Part 28)

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RobbieSykes123

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by rzt:
“A couple of sources are saying that ITV1 will show one-off drama 'Just Henry' on Christmas Day. One of the actresses in it tweeted it'll be shown on Xmas Day and a talent agency states that too.

So maybe the Downton Abbey on Xmas Day thing isn't so guaranteed yet? Seems a bit weird if true that a new one-off drama would get a Christmas Day airing, but didn't ITV do that a few years ago with that Booze Cruise show?

Edit:

...Or maybe just ignore my last two paragraphs !

Edit2: Here's the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...stmas-day.html

According to the article, SCD and DA won't actually go head to head. DA, they say, will air at 9pm, with SCD in its usual earlier slot.”

Unbelievable - they are counting up the "repeats" before the schedules are even drawn up this year!

Joe40

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by Dancc:
“"Darkness at Daybreak" on The Times. That could make for an awkward newspaper review tomorrow morning. ”

Darkness At Daybreak
How ITV's breakfast show got it horribly wrong

Maybe they can do a paper review with that bit folded discreetly away

Brekkie

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by AlexiR:
“I still can't quite understand the logic (from ITV's perspective) of putting Downton on Christmas Day. It just looks a lot like throwing money down the toilet and not because people won't watch it but because I can't see advertisers paying top drawer for it in this slot. There's also the potentially embarrassing possibility that 'the nations biggest drama' doesn't rate any better than the Agatha Christie drama last year and gets beat down by the BBC.”

I think you underestimate Downton there - I can't really think of anything the BBC have this Christmas suitable for the 9pm Xmas Day slot which will dent it. EastEnders and Strictly probably the biggest threat, but I don't think it would be a walkover by any means - people may see Downton as a genuine alternative to the usual Christmas staples served up by the BBC.

AlexiR

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Unbelievable - they are counting up the "repeats" before the schedules are even drawn up this year!”

And they also seem to be including old films in their repeat count as well which seems a little bit unfair.

rzt

23-11-2011

Where has the EastEnders being 2x40 minute episodes on Xmas Day info come from, by the way? I can't find any website stating it'll be 40-minute episodes. For now, I'm assuming it'll be one 60-minute episode just like the last two years.

jake lyle

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by rzt:
“but didn't ITV do that a few years ago with that Booze Cruise show?

.”

That was a sequel to a previous one off, that got 10m iirc

Originally Posted by Dancc:
“"Darkness at Daybreak" on The Times. That could make for an awkward newspaper review tomorrow morning. ”

It was awkward on Breakfast on Saturday, in the first review they ignored The Mirror completely and then in the second review all they said it was that the Mirror was leading on a Daybreak story.

Originally Posted by rzt:
“Where has the EastEnders being 2x40 minute episodes on Xmas Day info come from, by the way? I can't find any website stating it'll be 40-minute episodes. For now, I'm assuming it'll be one 60-minute episode just like the last two years.”

I think dan2008 is the source for that along with the Christmas Eve/Ny's Eve episodes

Joe40

23-11-2011

The Mail's story doesn't make sense and obviously there's been a mistype somewhere...

Sub-heading: Downton Abbey to be shown at 9pm whilst Strictly Come Dancing airs LATER
but the 3rd paragraph says: ITV are set to put the ratings-winning drama - starring Hugh Bonneville and Dame Maggie Smith, on at 9pm - while Strictly is set to air in a SLIGHTLY EARLIER slot.

square_eyes

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Unbelievable - they are counting up the "repeats" before the schedules are even drawn up this year!”

That article was probably written up in September.

Don't get this sense of outrage every year at the number of repeats. There are a lot of daytime hours to fill over the Christmas fortnight.

AlexiR

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by Brekkie:
“I think you underestimate Downton there - I can't really think of anything the BBC have this Christmas suitable for the 9pm Xmas Day slot which will dent it. EastEnders and Strictly probably the biggest threat, but I don't think it would be a walkover by any means - people may see Downton as a genuine alternative to the usual Christmas staples served up by the BBC.”

I fully expect people to watch it but I don't think it'll be the big blockbuster that will be expected of it. On a night when Coronation Street struggles to compete with the BBC offerings I don't think Downton will fare a whole lot better. And there is the very real possibility that relatively isolated on the Christmas Day schedule rather than part of a big X Factor driven Sunday night Downton does drop quite dramatically.

Assuming The Mail are right and it starts at 9PM the key will be what ITV puts in that 8PM hour. I think the real key to BBC1's Christmas Day dominance is that a lot of people just stick BBC1 on in the morning and leave it on there all day. ITV has to find a way to break that before Downton starts at 9. I don't think they can rely on this idea that people will just be bored of the BBC1 schedule. Especially not if the BBC are willing to push at least some of EastEnders into the 9PM hour (maybe 8:30-9:30).

rzt

23-11-2011

Originally Posted by jake lyle:
“That was a sequel to a previous one off that got 10m iirc”

Thanks. So the Christmas Day episode of Booze Cruise 2 (4.1m) got less than half of the original first episode which wasn't shown on Xmas Day?! That's quite some drop! I posted a list a while ago that pretty much every ITV1 non-soap post 8pm show on Christmas Day in the last few years has rated at least 20%, sometimes 30-40%, worse on Christmas Day than how they usually would do normally. I wonder if Downton Abbey (if it airs on the day) will follow a similar trend or be the one exception?

RobbieSykes123

23-11-2011

I think the Mail means SCD will air later than last year, but earlier than DA - ie, 8pm

jake lyle

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by rzt:
“Thanks. So the Christmas Day episode of Booze Cruise 2 (4.1m) got less than half of the original first episode which wasn't shown on Xmas Day?! That's quite some drop! I posted a list a while ago that pretty much every ITV1 non-soap post 8pm show on Christmas Day in the last few years has rated at least 20%, sometimes 30-40%, worse on Christmas Day than how they usually would do normally. I wonder if Downton Abbey (if it airs on the day) will follow a similar trend or be the one exception?”

I just checked it was 9,2m in the overnights for Part 1.
I think Downton is more comparable to A touch of Frost and Midsommer Murders which both did pretty well when they aired on Christmas Day iirc. I think Downton could get an 8m on Chrismas Night when taking into account the increased opposition. Downton smartly finished with a cliff hanger.

Pizzatheaction

24-11-2011

Talking of Mrs Brown's Boys, see if you can spot the captioning mistake in this article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/15857107

Sapphire Sun

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by Dancc:
“Ben Hur (1-2/2)
The epic and timeless tale of betrayal, conviction, faith and redemption is lavishly brought to life in this feature length drama. This re-telling of the perennially popular story features an all-star cast and exhilarating action set-pieces.

Ben Hur is a gut-wrenching, action-packed drama about the struggle between the Roman Empire and its occupied territory, Judea. Two lifelong friends, Ben Hur (Joseph Morgan, ‘Silent Witness’, ‘Doc Martin’) and Messala (Stephen Campbell Moore, ‘The History Boys’), are caught in a moment of history that puts them on opposite sides of a war for Judea’s national identity – and tests their characters to the limit.

The Gadget Show: Winter Special
The show that puts the latest technology to the test continues on Channel 5. This week is a Winter Special of the programme. Jon, Pollyanna and Ortis head into an environmental test laboratory to test the latest technical winter clothing. Monitored by a team of physiological experts, they get shut inside the ‘cold room’ and experience a continual drop of temperature from zero to minus 30 degrees. Who has the warmest clothes and who can bear being in the chamber the longest?

World’s Strongest Man 2011
The World’s Strongest Man has been entertaining Christmas audiences for 33 years. It is back on Channel 5 bigger and better than ever, as a host of new scientific innovations bring the incredible strains suffered by these behemoths into sharp focus. Presented by James Richardson and Caroline Pearce, Channel 5 brings you all the action from the event. Strength tests include the Farmer’s Walk, Log Lift, Atlas Stones and Ice Cream Machine Deadlift.

‘Carry On’ Night
‘Carry On’ legend Barbara Windsor takes over Channel 5 for an evening to introduce a selection of programmes that will raise a few eyebrows and tickle the funny bones. From 1958’s Carry On Sergeant until Carry On Emmannuelle in 1978 (with a brief return for Carry On Columbus in 1992) the saucy comedy of the Carry On films was ubiquitous with British film and television. Tonight, Channel 5 celebrates the old-school farce, fabulousness and frolics that epitomised mainstream comedy in the 1960s and 70s.

Mistletoe and Crime Night
Channel 5 brings you an evening of festive themed thrills and spills, courtesy of a selection of specially picked episodes from your favourite US crime dramas. Featuring CSI:NY, NCIS and The Mentalist.

Britain’s Favourite Christmas Songs
Channel 5 unwraps the songs that put the cheer in festive period. Which songs really break the ice at Christmas? The Jackson 5’s ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’, Greg Lake’s ‘I Believe in Father Christmas’ or Jona Lewie’s ‘Stop the Cavalry’ are on many lists. ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’ might still ring true, but has Mud’s ‘Lonely this Christmas’ passed its sell-by date? Where would we be without The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s ‘Fairytale of New York’ or the Waitresses’ ‘Christmas Wrapping’. Channel 5 unwraps the greatest gifts that musicians have given to us for the Christmases past and present.

TV’s 50 Greatest Magic Tricks
Channel 5 presents this countdown of the greatest TV magic tricks of all time – from the astonishing set pieces of Penn and Teller, to the mindbending of Derren Brown, to the street magic of David Blaine, be prepared to be amazed and mystified. With contributions from magic’s greatest stars including Paul Daniels and Debbie Magee, new magician wonderkid Dynamo, Penn and Teller, and magic fans Joe Pasquale, Dick and Dom, and Stephen Mulhern.

Aussie Soap Moments of the Year
Fed up of missing your favourite Aussie soaps during the annual Christmas break? Then worry no more! Celebrate the very best of the year’s most memorable moments from ‘Daytime Soap of The Year’ ‘Home and Away’ and ‘Inside Soap Award’ winning ‘Neighbours’, exclusively on Channel 5 in a very special nightly event to run as a festive treat over five nights, starting on Monday 19th December.

Most Shocking Celebrity Moments of 2011
This special programme takes a light-hearted look at the 50 most outrageous occurrences in the world of the rich and famous this year. As the 50 calamitous events in this chart illustrate, 2011 has been a vintage year in the world of celebrity. In the 12 months since January, there have been plenty of shocking moments to keep the tabloids full to the brim. With contributions from the celebrity winners and losers themselves, as well as an eclectic panel of commentators and experts, this show condenses the most salacious gossip of 2011.

Andre Rieu’s Christmas Spectacular
The iconic Dutch violinist, conductor and founder of the Johann Strauss Orchestra brings a slice of classical music to the table this Christmas. Renowned for his populist spectacles, Rieu has filled a plethora of stadiums around the world with his mix of classical and traditional songs.

Movie Premiere: Step Brothers (2008)
Comedy. Two spoilt middle-aged men who still live at home become step brothers when their parents marry. Forced to share a bedroom and look for jobs together, the pair eventually forge a friendship. But can the family’s domestic situation ever be harmonious?

Movie Highlights: The Wizard of Oz (1939), Scrooge – A Christmas Carol (1951), A Christmas Carol (1999), Meet the Santas (2005), Bad Santa (2003), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), The Producers (2005), Little Women (1994) and The Witches of Oz Part 1 (2011).

Milkshake! Peppa Pig
Oink! ‘Peppa Pig’ is back for a brand-new series of these popular, animated piggy tales. Small children adore Peppa Pig, she’s so cute and cheeky and funny. She’s like a little girl in many ways, including being a bit bossy to her younger brother George.

Source: Channel 5 Press.”

I am wetting my boxers in anticipation at the delights from Five.

rzt

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by jake lyle:
“I just checked it was 9,2m in the overnights.
I think Downton is more comparable to A touch of Frost and Midsommer Murders which both did pretty well when they aired on Christmas Day iirc.”

I had a look at those two ratings too:

A Touch of Frost aired on Christmas Day 1999 and got 12.1m. This was down -24% vs. the series average earlier that year of 15.8m.
Midsomer Murders aired on Christmas Day 2004 and got 6.9m. This was down -29% vs. the series average earlier that year of 9.7m.

So it seems like even ITV's very top dramas at the time, when they've been placed on Christmas Day, have experienced those kind of drops (also Doc Martin was down -32% the other year). But as you say, Downton may well be different due to the cliffhanger factor and continuing storylines. Thanks for the EE info, by the way.

Sapphire Sun

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by AlexiR:
“US Ratings Tuesday November 22

The Fall finale of Dancing with the Stars led ABC to a Tuesday night victory and produced some uptick for the 8PM comedies it was however down 23% year-on-year and the lowest Fall finale in the shows history. Cancelled comedy Man Up was up 12% at 8:30 but still couldn’t crack a 2 helpfully explaining why it’s been cancelled.

Meanwhile The X Factor continued its bounce around Fox’s schedule with another Tuesday night performance show. It logged the shows lowest performance rating to date although it led Fox to an easy victory in the 18-34 demo (2.7). Over on CBS it was a night of season lows with NCIS down 13% (but still winning the 8PM hour), NCIS: LA down 12% and Unforgettable dropping 8% to a series low.

All things considered NBC held up relatively well with Biggest Loser and Parenthood down just 5% week-on-week. Things could have been much worse for them. And the utterly confusing CW scheduling continues with a repeat of Hart of Dixie in Ringer’s Tuesday 9PM slot (after Ringer has spent the entire season airing repeats on every other night of the week).

ABC
8PM: Last Man Standing – 2.7 [9.33]
8:30PM: Man Up! – 1.9 [6.79]
9PM: Dancing with the Stars – 4.1 [19.45]

CBS
8PM: NCIS – 3.5 [18.45]
9PM: NCIS: LA – 3.0 [14.03]
10PM: Unforgettable – 2.2 [10.33]

Fox
8PM: The X Factor – 3.2 [9.33]

NBC
8PM: Biggest Loser – 2.0 [5.57]
10PM: Parenthood – 1.9 [4.54]

The CW
8PM: 90210 – 0.6 [1.26]
9PM: Hart of Dixie [r] – 0.4 [0.94]”

How that bile has not been axed is a mystery,bad females lead and poor script.

square_eyes

24-11-2011

A potential achilles heel for Downton as well is wherever they decide to put the almost certain daytime repeat.

If it goes out Boxing Day afternoon, many viewers would probably choose to watch it then.

Probably shouldn't get a repeat until New Years Day afternoon.

RobbieSykes123

24-11-2011

The worst thing about DA being pitched into battle on Xmas Day is the month of trailers before every ITV show that we will now have to endure...

btw, do I get brownie points for breaking the news first, 8 hours before the Daily Mail?

Sapphire Sun

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by Glenn A:
“It's not as if ITV has always died before the BBC on Christmas Day, their biggest coup came in 1987 when Coronation St took 27 million viewers on the strength of it being Hilda Ogden's last episode and in 1978 the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show, their first on ITV, attracted 20 million( mind you it was a far poorer effort than their BBC shows, but the ratings were still excellent). However, it is just their worst Christmas Days, such as the notorious 1993 effort that featured three mediocre films and cheap daytime filler, tend to attract the most comment.”

a piece about the ITV 1993 effort.

http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/?page_id=3866

dan2008

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by D.M.N.:
“There are some things worth mentioning, thanks to Elgin for the following:

Saturday 17th
7:05 - Strictly Come Dancing
8:05 - Merlin
8:50 - National Lottery
9 - Strictly Come Dancing Results

- One of The Royle Family Christmas specials (presumably last year's) is repeated at 9 on Sunday 18th.
- Sports Personality Of The Year runs 8 - 10 on Thursday 22nd.
- Christmas specials of Have I Got News For You and The Graham Norton Show on Friday 23rd - the latter extended to one hour. The Two Ronnies Sketchbook and Live At The Apollo continue to air.
- Eastenders is down for 8:30 - 9:30 on Christmas Day and 9 - 9:30 on Boxing Day.
- Holby City airs as normal on Tuesday 20th and 27th.
- The One Show continues until Friday 23rd before its festive break.

The interesting thing there is The Royle Family repeat, now, I strongly expect that to change, but does that suggest that they may expect ITV1 to air Downton Abbey on Sunday 18th?

Obviously some stuff there is wrong, as I'm sure dan2008 may soon point out...”

9:30pm for EastEnders on Boxing Day? I'll put money on it airing at 7:00pm with 7:30pm being the latest

The BBC planned 2 40min eps for Christmas day this year but of course (Like Last year) they have to move it around to avoid the ITV soaps. I guess if they make it an hour the slot could over run slightly anyway

There's no doubt DA is popular but has it ever aired without an X Factor lead in?

This years EastEnders is looking to be it's biggest and best yet with some come backs,It's biggest ever stunt,Some deaths,a few storyline's climax and of course the build up to Pats death

Strictly is on form this year and as we've seen by the ratings it's been beating the x factor a few times despite having an earlier slot.

If ITV go with

6:00pm-Emmerdale
7:00pm-Corrie
8:00pm-Downton
10:00pm-Film or something

Than the BBC could go with

5:50pm-EastEnders
6:30pm-Strictly
7:30pm-Dr Who
8:30pm-EastEnders
9:10pm-The Royal Bodyguard
9:40pm-Ab Fab

With that line up the BBC will thrash ITV im sure with EastEnders kicking the night off and everyone returning after the Huge Cliffhanger at 8:30

Agent F

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by dan2008:
“This years EastEnders is looking to be it's biggest and best yet with some come backs,It's biggest ever stunt,Some deaths,a few storyline's climax and of course the build up to Pats death”

I hope the EastEnders press office are paying you for all this overtime you're putting in Dan.

dan2008

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by Agent F:
“I hope the EastEnders press office are paying you for all this overtime you're putting in Dan. ”

Fudd

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by Sapphire Sun:
“a piece about the ITV 1993 effort.

http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/?page_id=3866”

Steve Williams? The same Steve Williams who posts on here?

Last Christmas I read the Christmas Logs from start to finish but lost the bookmark so thanks for posting it.

AlexiR

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by dan2008:
“5:50pm-EastEnders
6:30pm-Strictly
7:30pm-Dr Who
8:30pm-EastEnders
9:10pm-The Royal Bodyguard
9:40pm-Ab Fab”

Switch Doctor Who and Strictly I'd think.

Although I'm not convinced they'll put EastEnders on that early even if ITV go ahead with the Downton on Christmas Day scheduling.

dan2008

24-11-2011

Originally Posted by AlexiR:
“Switch Doctor Who and Strictly I'd think.

Although I'm not convinced they'll put EastEnders on that early even if ITV go ahead with the Downton on Christmas Day scheduling.”

I did think about DR who before Strictly but it looks better the other way i think.
EastEnders has aired in that slot before so it could happen

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