I thought Merlin flopped when it was shown on NBC? I think Sherlock and Downton Abbey probably could do pretty well if shown on network tv, although that won't happen as both shows are partly funded by PBS.

Slightly obscure request, this - but does anyone have the viewing figures for The Bill on Watch this week (9am and 10am I think) as they've gone back to repeating 2004 episodes.

Lots off good looking dramas for BBC One. They have ditched most off there clapped out ten year old dramas and some more diverse stuff is coming through.Looks good to me!

Well not having Spooks or Waking the Dead has cleared the way for some fresh blood, but they were both perfectly reliable performers. Only time will tell whether this fresh blood will do the business for BBC1. What the BBC need is more 6-7m dramas other than New Tricks, Doctor Who and Sherlock. I'd say for the BBC, there are too many dramas lingering in the 4-5m range.

I assume Room on a Broom will be animated but a good choice after the two Gruffalo films.

A lot of the dramas will are commisioned now may not air until 2013.

In terms of crime novels adapted to Television, a lot are optioned and developed, ITV Studios have had the rights to the Roy Grace novels for three years and Cooper and Fry is being developed at Mammoth Screen.

BBC One also has the new Michael Palin series in the Autumn, wonder if it'll air on a Sunday against Downton or given the success of Frozen Planet, air on a weekday.

Merlin did flop on NBC but it is doing well on Syfy, improving its ratings compared to the previous series.

The cable channels are likely to be more open to co-productions which represents an opportunity for UK channels (terrestrial or digital) to develop something.

There have been a few Canadian series on the US broadcast networks in the summer as well - ABC in particular have been doing that. The CW just bought rights to The L.A Complex, another Canadian series (albeit set in Los Angeles) which will actually air in the spring during the regular TV season.

Will they ever get around to airing Paxman's series on the British Empire

Andrew Marr is also doing a 3 part documentary on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee for BBC ONE.

It's almost worth bringing back for Tara Fitzgerald's breathy Voiceover at the start of each episode

Merlin provides good numbers especially on opposite X Factor

£482.5 million at the moment if you work backwards from the DQF figures. It'll fall about 6% to £454.9m by 2016/17 - though I think most of that just comes straight out of daytime.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15186116

Back in 2009, they said they were going to increase the drama budget by about 50% - and they also made the channel the platform for BBC Films. I think in combination those two moves are what's really behind all the extra scripted stuff that seems to have been coming out in the last year or so.

It's been a big success in my eyes and has generated some pretty tidy ratings for them too. There seemed a danger not so long ago that BBC2 was just being swamped by lots of very soft factual entertainment - but the new dramas along with some big science, history and nature output seem to have given a bit of a quality sheen back to the channel (perhaps at the expense of the ratings all that soft factual managed). Good to see - and long may it continue.

Thanks for letting us know, Mike.

Can I ask why there have been all these amendments for programmes of the weeks ending 6 November, 13 November and 20 November? It doesn't seem to have affected any weeks prior to this, has it? Are we going to have changes to the BARB ratings for every week from here on in? It's a bit confusing!

I've just found this. Some interesting data from Sky:
http://www.skymedia.co.uk/Audience-I...dashboard.aspx
http://www.skymedia.co.uk/Audience-I...ofilesent.aspx
http://www.skymedia.co.uk/Audience-I...-profiles.aspx

Sounds like Casualty's number of episodes per year have been cut back for good, not only just because of the Olympics/Euros but beyond that too. It'll have the same budget as it does at the moment but with fewer episodes, they're going to have more stunts:

Janice Hadlow really has turned around BBC Two, do think it needs a mainstream drama series rather than one-offs even though the one-offs do very well. They have suffered losing Masterchef and Miranda to BBC One although they've still got Masterchef the Proffessionals as well as The Great British Bakeoff.

Predictions for the match?
I reckon 5.1m, peak of 6m.

God - if ITV follows suit that'll complicate the ratings even further.

At the moment though I don't see this as a good move for C4 - they've not got a lot people want to watch the first time around, and the More4 relaunch is basically turning it into a C4 repeats channel anyway, while 4oD is stronger than ever.


Thanks - so that budget isn't any more than C4 then who usually come in around the £500m mark. BBC2 though must have the much cheaper daytime schedule - and not quite sure how CBeebies and any sport shown falls into it - I'm guessing they'd be on top of the BBC2 budget.

No doubt about it though of the three lesser "terrestrial" channels BBC2 has been on top for the last year or two.

Excellent news. I suspect the number of episodes will be cut to around 40 instead of 48-49 episodes. And going back to basics is great - they're not tampering with a formula that so clearly works. And viewing figures were great when they last had a revamp for the start of Series 22 in September 2007; some episodes in that series hit 8 million and the highest was 8.47 million (the last time it went over 10 million was 2004), so it shows Casualty's potential and there is heaps of life left in this show.

Current line is to ignore repeats, bit like ignoring iplayer.

I don't think this should change with some 'shuffle' channel.

Merlin can provide Doctor Who level numbers on opposite The X-Factor.

In the US, Merlin series 1 had an average of 4.17 million viewers in the middle of the Summer (2009), when everything was a flop on NBC. (They haven't improved much since then...)
But Merlin has found a better place on cable. It is quite successful now on Syfy, becoming more popular than most of their own dramas. They have already bought series 5 IIRC.

Empire seems to be sitting on the shelf, Upstairs Downstairs will probably air on February 5th so Empire will likely air after that in March or April. Marr also has History of the World but I don't that is going to air until 2013.

re: head of BBC drama Ben Stephenson's update...

The focus on BBC1 drama also came with the admission that the commitment to drama on BBC3 would be downgraded, with either Being Human or Lip Service axed after their next series or no recommission for The Fades

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-...-head-of-drama

Cast list announced for BBC1's new drama Antony and Cleopatra. Sounds promising.

http://www.redproductioncompany.com/...-and-cleopatra

What's happening with BBC2's drama? Last year we had all of those Original British Drama trailers and there was a push for more drama on BBC2. So far the new Original British Drama trailers have been for BBC1.

As for BBC3, I knew that was happening when Controller Zai Bennett alluded to it on Points Of View. Very sad to see though.

I expect a seperate announcement for BBC Two drama, they've got Line of Duty, Series two of The Hour, Parade's End.

I said in the last thread Young James Herriot was following a tryout like Upstairs Downstairs. Three episodes over Christmas and then see if it's worthy of a series. This confirmed it.

More Death in Paradise and Luther announced by BBC head of drama - Ben Stephenson also reveals casting shake-ups to existing shows - but remains tight-lipped on Sherlock


Ha! In your face doubters! I told you!

Given the schedules of Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberdatch and Steven Moffatt, I think Summer 2013 or early 2014 is likely for Sherlock series 3. They could if they wanted to has just one episode a year rather than the 3 90 minute episodes we have at the moment.