There are exceptions.

Hit of the year
I think Luther gets the shout here. Sure it never set anything on fire, but in terms of the drama of the year it was a strong come back, and outside of new dramas the only one to really rise in quality AND ratings.
Zero to Hero. Such a stark difference it deserves the title 'Hit' I think.

Flop of the year
Almost put this in 'So glad that flopped' but frankly I said all along it was going to be a MAJOR flop that its not that am glad, just that it was inevitable. Red or Black - awful programme and in the end COST ITV money and lost potential revenue. Major flop - it'll be hard for any other shows to out flop it this decade!

- ITV's summer isn't that bad when you consider they are still posting those awful ratings here and there. More the channel is flopping outside of a handful of big brands.

New hit of the year
- Frozen Planet - no big lead in like some of the big hit dramas recently, and just an all round brilliant show. Big ratings as well - very well deserved too. Can't argue here for me.

Jaw-dropping rating of the year
Frozen Planets million increase from first week to second. Then the MASSIVE timeshift. Just a huge hit - and completly led by quality. (and Zoos )

Mystifying rating of the year
Torchwood Miracle Day - yes I watched it all, and yes its overnights collapsed but its iplayer is good compared to other shows (collapses though towards the end) and its timeshift put it above 5 million. In the states as well it never collapsed, just never launched big (and had a good rating for Starz)
Its overnights were low, but never to the degree that was possible.

I think its got room to return reformatted again - but not american (it'll actually 'flop' then - least in UK, could change channel I suppose, if good it could rate strong on BBC Two (especially if marketing explains they've 'learnt from their mistakes'). If Jane Espenson takes it on though...ugh...let it die actually

“So glad that flopped” of the year
Most of ITV's summer, and a lot of their autumn beyond their good quality shows. Red of Black just because of the arrogance surrounding it and the hilarious fact people thought it would succeed based on 'Simon Cowell iz involved!'

Also meant ITV couldn't throw money at things and expect big ratings. Its flop compared to other shows is why their boosting drama. So yeah this.

“Such a shame that flopped” of the year
Not sure. Am sorry Torchwood was shit, but it was always going to flop (it actually didn't - finals put it in a decent place, but it was bad enough the only defender is Jon Blum (in fact thats maybe

In terms of a show...Spooks didn't flop but I'd have liked it a bit higher (though I'd also have liked a better final series!)
Though it did in no way flop - instead put in a great result (in fact all the BBC scheduling around there is very good and well placed)

So yeah - can't think of an actual 'FLOP' - will watch out for what others suggest!


Oh and shout out for:

Scheduling **** up of the Year!
MASTERCHEF CELEBRITY EDITION

Channel 5 needs to avoid ITV2/Sky Living type shows like It's All About Amy and Tamara Ecclestone as it's derivative and, as you say, cheap filler like this is acceptable on a digital channel, but not on a channel which wants to take on the big two. Also 300,000 viewers is not good.
5 really needs to be careful. Resorting to cheap reality shows only the most hardcore HEAT/OK magazine readers would watch isn't the way forward for them and again aids the channel's critics who think it is a low brow and downmarket channel, when actually some of their shows and films are good.

Hits of the Year

BBC1 - The Apprentice (9-10m ratings in summer!!), New Tricks (9+m ratings in summer), special mention for Frozen Planet 9.72m

ITV1 - Downton Abbey 11-12m (steady growth), Doc Martin (10m+ ratings), special mention for BGT, DOI, IAC, TXF - even bad shows can get high ratings!

BBC2 - Top Gear 7m+ ratings, special mention for The Great British Bake Off 4-5m ratings.

C4 - Big Fat Gypsy Wedding 8.80m on Channel 4!! special mention for Embarrassing Bodies rating 4m+

C5 - Celebrity Big Brother 5m+, NCIS/CSI/CSI NY 2.5m ratings, special mention for Europa League Football 2.5m+ ratings.

We all know the flops of the year most were Tuesday night ITV1, thought BBC1 had a few that were not quite so bad.

Is this your not so subtle way of saying it's okay for ITV to do shows like this 'cause they mostly air on ITV2, but not Channel 5, despite the fact ITV2 is the next highest rated channel after C5?

Channel 5 are yet to air anything as pathetic as '#Tweetsoftheyear' at least. Digital channel or not, what a lousy idea for a programme. Won't be topped in terms of barrel-scraping awfulness.

I'd forgotten about Tweets of the Year! Maybe that's a good thing...

But there is a big difference between ITV2 and Channel 5 IMO - or at least there should be (and for the most part there is).

Mind you when it comes to reality mindrot ITV2 has certainly taken the biscuit and Channel 5 has only transgressed a few times. Care to remember such quality shows as Celeb Air, Katie and Peter, What Katie Did Next, all the Paris Hilton best friend rubbish, Kerry Katona The Next Chapter, WAGs Boutique and no doubt countless other shows that are so bad they are completely forgotten now. Also I notice Channel 5 doesn't feel the need to spin out its reality shows with pointless Best and Worst filler for a month after they finish.

Hit of the year
- Downton Abbey and Strictly both did really well, plus Frozen Planet. Honourable mention for Mrs Browns Boys which came out of nowhere to deliver really decent ratings.

Flop of the year
Most of the new stuff Channel 5 have commissioned. Normall BB sank and the fake reality stuff like the Tamara and Amy shows have rated awfully.

New hit of the year
Mrs Browns Boys as this could go on for years and years

Jaw-dropping rating of the year
Aother one for Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

Mystifying rating of the year
Champions League football often seems to pull in pretty low audiences these days, even the final featuring Manchester United hard had sensational ratings

“So glad that flopped” of the year
The tacky recent commissions on Channel 5. The brand really is very terribly damaged.

“Such a shame that flopped” of the year
A lot of American imports really seem to struggle for an audience, then get taken off or scheduled later and later into the evening

He hasn't even got his summer job anymore. He used to record Are You Smarter Than A/Your 10 Year Old over the summer school holidays but the final series was recorded in 2009.

I got a feeling Noel liked doing Deal or No Deal live back in October since it also tied in with his recording schedule. I suspect we may see more live shows in 2012.

Funny enough, he did some work for Radio 2 before getting the DoND job. He covered for Johnny Walker for the drivetime slot, before Chris Evans became the permanent replacement.

A bit of a public service here - the easy quote and fill out awards list:

Hit of the year:
Flop of the year:
New hit of the year:
Jaw-dropping rating of the year:
Mystifying rating of the year:
“So glad that flopped” of the year:
“Such a shame that flopped” of the year:
Best Channel:
Honourable mentions:
Worst Channel:
Dishonourable mention:

My choices:
Hit of the year: I think I'd give the nod to Downton Abbey
Flop of the year: The X Factor if you believe some reports. Don't Scare the Hare though surely has to claim this - or The Marriage Ref - though we all knew both would really.
New hit of the year: Does The Royal Wedding count?
Jaw-dropping rating of the year: The fact anybody watches Tonight the Night.
Mystifying rating of the year: Big Fat Gypsy Weddings - I just don't get it
“So glad that flopped” of the year: Big Brother - C5 got exactly what they deserved for it's quick revivial of a show axed for very good reason - with none of the issues which led to it getting the chop being addressed at all. Also Glee on Sky1.
“Such a shame that flopped” of the year: 10 o'clock Live - it wasn't that bad, but it's been lucky to get a second chance
Best channel: ITV1 - drama is the bread and butter of any station and for the first time in years new drama series seem to have worked for ITV this year
Honourable mentions: BBC3 - 90% crap, but the 10% of good stuff is usually very good indeed.
Worst channel: Channel 5 - Dirty Desmond is running it into the ground. It's completly lost it's identity and any reputation it's built up for it's commitment to US drama in recent years.
Dishonourable mention: Channel 4. The new management need to go and it needs to find it's bold ambition once again - and stop being afraid. Also Sky Atlantic hasn't really made an impact - if anything it's stopping some HBO shows becoming bigger hits.



I think it was the commissioning of the live shows rather than an instant reaction to ratings which saw the summer break cut short.

Overhyped flop of the year- it must be Red or Black, which lost half its audience overnight and never came back. Having Simon Cowell as a producer doesn't mean a show will top the ratings.
Quiet success- Countryfile, gone from being a morning show for farmers into a huge success in peaktime.
Graveyard slot success- The Lakes, managed to pull in 4.2 million against EE, very good in what used to be a suicide slot.
Most pointless show with low ratings to boot- who really wants to watch a loop of IAC highlights for nearly a month?
Most deserved hit- Luther, a cleverly written police drama that attracted 5 million viewers
Saddest ratings flop- Taggart, viewers can be so cruel as this series fell below 3 million and sadly was one of the best since Mark Mc Manus.
Programmes that deserved to flop- Show Me The Funny, Signed by Katie Price, Don't Scare the Hare, It's All About Amy, Red or Black, Shipwrecked.
Most pointless revival- Shipwrecked, cancelled twice due to falling ratings and making as much impact now as a Sky Living show.

Flop of the Year: Famous and Fearless and/or Home For The Holidays

Hit of the Year: Mad Dogs - can't wait for series 2.

Award for ratings consistency- not often mentioned here, Songs of Praise consistenly attracts 3.5 million viewers and has been on air since 1960.
Not such a big hit now award- the Champions League, likely to stiff if the remaining two English teams go out.
Sports contract no one cares about- the Europa League, flits between digital channels as it is a B list cup.

It's the last day of the Christmas Radio Times today and it seems they ran out of programmes, serious tonight's schedule is dire.

We've an hour of One Show highlights, half an hour of Have I Got News highlights (at 8:30 ) and then later highlights from Graham Norton.

Then we've got a New Tricks repeat and a repeat of John Bishop from the previous night.

There's only EastEnders which is new.

I notice EE started very early (a bit before Coro St finished), and has just ended quite early too. Worth noting re the overnights tomorrow, if we get them.


Well, not far off being!


Indeed. Wonder why Brittas never came back for a one off/spin off? It was a good solid 9-11m banker hit - and never failed to be funny.

Interestingly, the ITV Sherlock did harm One Foot in the Grave's prospects. Although the first ep of s1 of One Foot did beat Sherlock Holmes, it lost out for the rest of the run IIRC. It was the repeats of s1 after s2 had aired that made it a hit.


I like the way that 8.39m figure is shown off the top of the graph.

Think ITV were hoping to do the same for the Downton Xmas Special. But alas, not.

As said earlier, I hope the terrestrial ratings tonight turn out to be a load of old rubbish, it's as if channels 1 to 5 have gone on a New Year's Eve party a day early.
Alex Crawford on Sky News's A Year To Remember is as superb as ever, and is well worth an hour of your time.

It should still beat ITV's compilation of key moments from the Royal year, which people had watched on the BBC during 2011...



Poor night, but a chance of a viewing catch up - plus Ch4 has a decent line up with Angelos and Lee Evans.

And don't miss Brooker's Screenwipe, on which I'm pinning my final Christmas TV comedy hopes...

It does kind of seem that way (across all channels). Surely they could have found a film to stick on at 8.30pm - though that said tomorrow isn't much better.

Here we go then. Another eventful year of ratings...

Hit of the year: The Great British Bake Off. Wasn't even on my radar last year, but this series it really upped its game and became a real powerhouse for BBC Two, posting consistently brilliant numbers week after week, culminating in a final watched by over 5 million viewers. Amazing for a show of this type on ANY channel, let alone a channel that typically averages about 2 million viewers in prime.
See also... Downton Abbey (ITV1), Celebrity Big Brother 2011 (Channel 5), Mrs. Brown's Boys (BBC One).

Flop of the year: Daybreak. I know it's only breakfast TV, but the very public nature of every development along the way made its failure all the more embarrassing and therefore makes it the obvious choice in this category. From the high profile appointments of Adrian and Christine in 2010, to their equally high profile axings this year, it failed to grow its audience despite ample opportunity to do so. Losing viewers compared to GMTV in its key target demo of Housewives with Children was the final straw. The programme's only achievement to date has been increasing BBC Breakfast's dominance.
See also... Don't Scare The Hare (BBC One), The Marriage Ref (ITV1), It's All About Amy (Channel 5), Famous & Fearless (Channel 4), Impossible (Channel 5).

New hit of the year: 24 Hours in A&E. With a series average close to 3 million and very high AI scores week after week, its enviable performance for a show in this genre made it one standout programme to be proud of for Channel 4 in 2011.

Jaw-dropping rating of the year: Gypsy Weddings. For obvious reasons.

Mystifying rating of the year: Gypsy Weddings. See above.

“So glad that flopped” of the year: Red or Black. It was painfully obvious from the beginning that there was nothing credible whatsoever about the format, yet it was hyped up as though it was the best thing since sliced bread. With the involvement of major talent like Cowell and Ant & Dec, ITV didn't see this supersized flop coming, and neither did we.

“Such a shame that flopped” of the year: Paul Merton's Adventures. Some unfortunate scheduling clashes early on took their toll on an entertaining series, albeit in the overly done travelogue genre.

Best channel of the year: BBC One, consistently good programmes and consistently good ratings to match. Continued also to extend a massive lead over ITV1 during the daytime, something only set to intensify further when CBBC departs.

Worst channel of the year: ITV2. My set top box getting 'stuck' on this channel is what nightmares are made of. The odd gem like Hell's Kitchen USA look out of place here on a channel dominated by 'personalities' I'm supposed to care about, but more than likely don't. Hasn't really shown much ratings ambition either, to be honest. A lack of new scripted content from anywhere and the 'shutdown mode' it effectively enters when ITV1 is showing something of note just caps off a very disappointing channel.

As much as viewers enjoyed Mrs Brown's Boys, overnight ratings were not all that impressive, maybe due to the time slot

Talking about Daybreak, does anyone have any ratings for the pre-9:25am films that ITV have been showing this week, in place of Daybreak?

The Adventures of Pinocchio (26/12): 252k
The Prince and the Pauper (27/12): 301k

It doesn't matter how many times you say it, it doesn't make it true.

From CSI to Sons of Anarchy, The Mentalist to The Walking Dead, and NCIS to Castle, Channel 5 is still the free-to-air home for all the best US dramas currently on television.

With Body of Proof and Dallas to come in 2012, I think viewers will continue to rate its output very highly in this genre.

i have that Royal Year Program on in the background because I cannot find anything else to watch not even any good films on

Thankfully 2 rented blu rays came to watch tonight, better than suffering Friday night repeats and year end programmes........