Birdsong shifted a decent 1m, but I hoped it might do better given the tough competition.

Perhaps hasn't lived up to expectations, either in terms of critical reception or pure numbers. But 7m for ep 1 and probably low 6m's for ep 2 isn't really to be sniffed at. And I thought it was magnificent.

Casualty and Mrs Brown both still doing very good business; I think that might just be MBB's largest timeshift yet of c1.7m, which is obviously encouraging. Hope they properly flag the move of day at the end of tonight's ep, and trail it during the week.

Hustle slightly disappointing to be sub 6m, having shifted only around 900k compared to 1.4m last week.

Again a suggestion in the press today that the BBC are determined to find another comedy show for David Jason assuming they do pull the plug on TRB.

I'm worried by the word "assuming".

Is there any doubt?!

Let him retire gracefully. Even if they do find him something, nobody will watch because he'll be tainted by association with this flop. I'm still really annoyed by how TRB has turned out, because there was a show with real comic potential here, even with Jason as a slightly miscast lead, but they just overwrote and overplayed it. I've watched every episode - a sense of duty I suppose - and there are so many moments when you think "they really could have done something there". Really frustrating.

I noticed that tonight's final episode had a half decent write up in The Times on Saturday - "really quite enjoyable" were the words somewhat surprisingly used....

I'd really like to know if the show John Cleese says he was sent a BBC script for and binned because it was an insult was TRB - meaning they called on Jason as second "comedy legend" reserve.

Conceivable? I'd say it's inevitable that CTM will be getting 11m. It would be even bigger away from Dancing On Ice. As for series 2 they need to make it first and as good as it is, I don't want gory births on Christmas Day!

Iv seen some-my own thoughts are I would have loved the premise as a child and I would have made my parents watch with me. The scheduling at 9.00 is weird as its only catching a stony faced adult audience who have slung it in the bin. In all aspects its a real shame though for me its not a total dead loss-the immediate boss character is good and reminds me of the George Sewell role in The Detectives.

EDIT: As for possible recommision.....I would guess stranger things have happened. They may try to "mend" it. Pretty doubtful though.

So Celeb BB Live helped Channel 5 secure one of the top 10 most watched multichannel programmes of the week. Niiiice!

Unforgettable and Suits did very well for their respective channels too, securing top 30 places.

What Celeb Big Brother showed is that older people can have personalities too. Get a good mix for Big Brother in the summer and the show will do well.

Which week are you talking about - you're quoting CTM for w/e January 22 but those are not the BARB figures for Corrie and EE in that period

Those figures are correct. EastEnders got 9.96m.

http://www.barb.co.uk/report/weeklyT...esttimeout=500

Agreed. And it's like Marcus says on Twitter, the show will be going out mostly at 9pm or 10pm when I'm guessing the Olympics will be in highlights mode, so it shouldn't be affected. Especially if ITV1 enters repeat mode. He does say no definite dates have been set though for the upcoming summer run, so maybe they won't clash at all. Auditions begin this weekend in Cardiff.

Holy shite for Call The Midwife, is the only thing I can say to that 8.8m rating

Dancing On Ice looks low for the skate off, managing 6m at 9:30pm for the results, doesn't that seem a bit worrying, or is it just me? I am sure the skate off for the past years have been getting ~7.5m with the main show in the mid 8m.

Very weird to think that TOWIE attracted the same audience as BB just three months ago, and I am sure some times ITV2 beat BB on Channel 5, and now CBB was 1.5m more than TOWIE's opening episode last night. 1m seems a little low for TOWIE to be fair, a 600k drop.

Incredible for the officials for Live Feed...

1 CELEBRITY BB LIVE FROM THE HOUSE (WED 2201) 994k (+1: 41k) = 1.035m
10th most watched digital only programme of the week
2 CELEBRITY BB LIVE FROM THE HOUSE (FRI 2201) 653k
9 CELEB BB'S BIT ON THE SIDE (SUN 2259) 262k
10 CELEB BB'S BIT ON THE SIDE (SAT 2113) 221k

As I have said before the solution is obvious and simple.

Bring back Goodnight, Sweetheart.

This will at one revive a popular sitcom and reunite Del Boy and Rodney in spirit.

It would not be too difficult to write a new lead part for David Jason that restores the OFAH dynamic within the framework of a proven hit sitcom that has generated several threads on here in recent years asking for it to come back.

And the writers are out there still writing so not hard to persuade I suspect.

Incidentally, in an interview about the new stage version of Birds of a Feather with the original cast and writers there was a suggestion that the BBC are considering a 2012 Christmas special revival of this to ride the coat tails of the tour that is seemingly selling well.

And Corrie got 9.63 million not 10.23 m

I read a few weeks ago that he was directing a comedy for the BBC.


Last week I saw this, it seems to be a pilot.

Dancing On Ice certanily looks like the weakest of ITVs reality shows.

Goodnight Sweetheart is certainly an option, one I favour, maybe David Jason can replace Yvonne in the present day, he could also have taken over Garys shop.

That said of course, would you need a reason why the portal opens again? the Who fan in me, wants it to be due to something like WW3 being declared, and Gary moves between the 1950s, and say in 2015.

The key phrase being ''good old fashioned sitcom''. The reference to Last of the Summer Wine is a bit worrying as Sir David is known to favour Laurel and Hardy-type slapstick with no innuendo or smuttiness. I am sure the BBC would back Sir David if he wished to read from the Huddersfield telephone directory

ITV1 HD is reported seperately. 10.23m includes ITV1HD

Thanks for clarifying that - so BARB figures will always underestimate the ITV audience but be accurate for the other channels and include the respective HD. So we're not comparing like with like ?

Place your bets. Downton Abbey has cast somebody for the new series and the news is under embargo until 8pm tonight. I wonder who it could be?

Here we go...

Yes Barb final figures always report them seperately.
ITV1 HD has to be treated seperately due to CRR.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010...-explained-itv

BARB - Top 30 Programmes 2012

01 - 10.98m - EASTENDERS (02/01/12) - BBC1/HD
02 - 10.66m - SHERLOCK (01/01/12) - BBC1/HD
03 - 10.47m - CALL THE MIDWIFE (22/01/12) - BBC1/HD
04 - 10.23m - CORONATION STREET (16/01/12) - ITV1/HD
05 - 9.29m - DANCING ON ICE (08/01/12) - ITV1/HD
06 - 9.11m - EMMERDALE (05/01/12) - ITV1/HD
07 - 8.00m - WILD AT HEART (08/01/12) - ITV1/HD
08 - 7.97m - ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (01/01/12) - BBC1/HD
09 - 7.86m - ENDEAVOUR (02/01/12) - ITV1/HD
10 - 7.32m - ABOVE SUSPICION (09/01/12) - ITV1/HD

11 - 7.01m - BIRDSONG (22/01/12) - BBC1/HD
12 - 6.99m - CASUALTY (07/01/12) - BBC1/HD
13 - 6.81m - MATCH OF THE DAY LIVE: MAN CITY v LIVERPOOL (11/01/12) - BBC1/HD
14 - 6.60m - MRS BROWN'S BOYS (02/01/12) - BBC1/HD
15 - 6.51m - HUSTLE (13/01/12) - BBC1/HD
16 - 6.48m - COUNTRYFILE (22/01/12) - BBC1/HD
17 - 6.41m - ANTIQUES ROADSHOW (08/01/12) - BBC1/HD
18 - 6.16m - COUNTRYFILE (15/01/12) - BBC1/HD
19 - 5.96m - BBC NEWS (03/01/12) - BBC1/HD
20 - 5.92m - THE NATIONAL LOTTERY: WHO DARES WINS (21/01/12) - BBC1/HD

21 - 5.82m - MIDSOMER MURDERS (09/01/12) - ITV1*
22 - 5.47m - HOLBY CITY (03/01/12) - BBC1/HD
23 - 5.43m - NEW TRICKS (12/01/12) - BBC1/HD
24 - 5.42m - DIY SOS: THE BIG BUILD¤(18/01/12) - BBC1/HD
25 - 5.37m - CELEBRITY MASTERMIND (03/01/12) - BBC1/HD
26 - 5.31m - MASTERCHEF (17/01/12) - BBC1/HD
27 - 5.27m - THE MAGICIANS (07/01/12) - BBC1/HD
28 - 5.23m - THE ROYAL BODYGUARD (02/01/12) - BBC1/HD
29 - 5.14m - LAW AND ORDER: UK (06/01/12) - ITV1/HD
30 - 5.08m - EARTHFLIGHT (05/01/12) - BBC1/HD

BBC1 - 22
ITV1 - 8

Christine Bleakley?

is it Gene Hunt, or David Tenant, either playing a time travelling cop, come back from the future, to stop whatever happens in Downton Abbey from happening, as otherwise it will cause a rift in the time space continuum, dragging Benedict Cumberbatchs Sherlock into the show?

Can someone please explain the story in the Sun today (other than by saying - it is the Sun )

They have a piece on The Magicians in which a reporter goes behind the scenes and does the tricks they did live on Saturday (eg the glass walking).

But it claims 'The BBC 1 hit....pulled in 5.2 million viewers, beating ITV 1 rival Take Me Out'.

Where do those figures come from? They are not what is on this thread yesterday.