Followed by The Biggest Loser on ITV1 at 9pm. If there isn't a crossover audience there I'll be stunned.

Channel 4 is so confused and inconsistent. They seemed to have good series in the early noughties like No Angels, As If and Teachers that were dropped with no warning even though they were doing well. I still think letting POG and R and J go has left a gaping hole in the schedules and also killing off that Wogan game show was yet another mistake, same as ditching the highly entertaining Wife Swap.
Shipwrecked to me is a burned out concept, reality has moved on from sticking people on desert islands like Survivor did 10 years ago. Desperate Scousewives is an indication of where reality has headed and people are more interested in people based fly on the wall shows than the island and jungle concepts of the early to mid noughties.

Outstanding stuff from EastEnders tonight.
Well written,Well acted and one of the best produced episode's from soap.
Deserves a very high rating

I used to think the same but think it's a deliberate ploy to ensure viewers see two of BBC ONE's biggest programmes as part of the 'normal' rather than festive schedule.

(There was a time not so long ago when ITV wheeled out their big guns and trounced BBC in early January night after night)

Couldn't agree more. Great episode and hoping it knocks up at least a 11-12m overnight rating.

Whether it gets them or not, I do think EastEnders deserves big numbers tonight.

Yet another cleverly thought out show from Channel 4. I suppose if Channel 5 was to bring back their sex guides, Sex Tips for Girls would make a comeback on Channel 4. Actually this was quite good for a laugh with that very polite American sex therapist and her audience of sniggering women.

Funnily enough I feel the same. I do think if they're gonna bother with them so early in December the least they could do is keep them until 1st Jan - I do regard NYD as the last day of the festive season myself, and so the festive presentation should remain until then at the very least.

But I do think that Andy23 is right - they're a promotional thing more than anything these days. As soon as the fireworks finished last night the BBC were rushing out their big 2012 promo - it's a new year so I'm not surprised they've ditched them today.

No, I get mad about that too. Should be on until end of tomorrow. Bizarre time for them to end.

There's anumber of EastEnders topics trending on Twitter (and RIP Pat worldwide) but There's nothing of Harry Potter. Maybe a good sign.

I know Twitter doesn't always reflect Ratings but then im looking to last sunday when EastEnders had a number of trends and Downton didn't (when they were head-head)

Link: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...r-high/115033/

ABC's Dick Clark New Year's Rockin' Eve did really well last night from 11:35pm-12:32am, attracting 22.6 million viewers with an impressive 7.4 in advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographics. The 1am-2am slot also went up from last year with 6.2m and 2.4 in 18-49 demo, compared with last year's 5.2m and 1.9 in 18-49 demo.

Not now, ITV do have their soaps and DOI to hit the BBC with and if a decent 9pm drama does well, they can say result, but it's a bit dicey for them now. Maybe they need to bolster their drama department.

totally agree, an excellent episode of EE, deserving of all the praise im sure its getting on various internet forums.

Sherlock on the other hand, lacked energy, pace or momentum to carry viewers to the end, of (at 90 minutes) a longish drama. In my experience alot of 90 minute dramas could normally be at least 75 if not 60 minutes long.

EE is one of the BBC's evergreens, always doing well for them, and seems to have better demos than the two big ITV soaps. Yet the characters and actors have never been held in the same affection as the classic Coronation St cast. I would much rather have a pint with Johnny Briggs than Leslie Grantham.

The Mordred plotline from Series 2 is still there to be continued. Morgana can be exiled to Avalon or something, and return when they want her back, but Merlin and Arthur are essential.

Anyway...

Here's my final Merlin graph (until next October at least). You can see that 2010 was the big year for Merlin, as it has grown to the 7m+ level in the course of Series 3. Ratings of Series 4 jumped to the same level very early, and it has easily become the most successful series so far, despite each and every minute airing against The X-Factor, except the two-part finale. The last episode didn't have the advantage of a Strictly lead-in, so the 8.18m is really impressive.

Merlin returns to the US on Jan 6th, so I'm looking forward to the US ratings too. S3 started with 1.35m and ended with an impressive 1.87m on Syfy.

I was a bit disappointed in Sherlock to be honest, felt a bit lackluster compared to the last series.

However the reaction on Twitter seems to be very positive.

This is excellent considering the strong opposition but if the BBC provides a decent show for all the anti X Factor fans, we'll watch it.

EE is always capable of pulling out excellent episodes like tonight's, something other shows could never quite manage. Even under what many consider to be a "poor" exec producer the show can still pull something really special out of the bag when it really needs to.


i think there is a pretty good reason for that, beyond EastEnders vs Corrie, beyond TV itself and something that goes to who Leslie Grantham is as a man.

My only EastEnders related disappointment tonight is that I apparently agree with Cheryl Cole on something. There was me thinking she was an ITV/Syco girl.

In the past EE has some very memorable moments, but maybe because I live in Corrieland( NW England) it doesn't have the same devoted following here. However, it does seem to trend younger in the North than Coronation St, but on balance EE is the second soap here.

What's Cheryl Cole done?

Kirkwood has pulled 2 of soaps best episodes ever out of the bag. Tonights episode and Billes death which was just so raw.

The great thing was it didn't go back and fourth to pointless scenes and there wasn't terrible music playing over the scenes

People watch all 3 soaps here but EastEnders is much more popualr.No doubt people will be talking about it at work tomorrow like they have much of the past week

Eastenders was superb tonight, and it was all on the back of strong characters, good acting and emotion...no daft explosions, bombs, kidnaps, murders...I hope it gets a good rating and we see a return to more believable plots.

maybe the problem is your "Corrieland" location, I mean people seem to love Dot, and there is no question of EE not being part of British culture.

IIRC New Year 1996 was a bit of a watershed year for BBC One post the usual festive trouncing of ITV. It was the 1st time a BBC Drama rated very well in the New Year (c. 12-13m?). Pretty sure it was for Hetty Wainthrop Investigates.

Hard to believe looking at tonights drama-packed BBC One schedule that the Beeb just rolled over and played dead in Winter whilst ITV's offerings did great business. What a reversal.

Cheryl Cole leads tribute to Pat


your right that was a very strong episode.



but that is not 100% true the episode still contained other storylines, and characters, some of which are more liked than others. That kept the focus on Pat and the Jacksons but it had other moments. Lauren and Mandy being two such examples.