"Ill-informed" was a polite way of describing the waffle I'd read on here.

As for any comments at C4 meetings, perhaps working at C4 was less satisfying than working on the biggest show on the UK's biggest channel?

As for the "hot ticket" thing, not everyone thought that way. I certainly didn't. I had a bad feeling about Kirkwood's appointment. I was worried he'd leave the show in a worse state than he found it...

She did 6 months in Blood Brothers in West End.

What have the Grand National viewing figures been like in recent years?

What utter nonsense. Last year's peaked at 8.8m on a very warm April afternoon, or 65% of the available audience. Not sure that peak share percentage was topped at any point last year.

and she was nominated for an Olivier award for it.
She was a guest mentor on ALW's last BBC show 'Over The Rainbow'.

Hard to say. Both Australian soaps have had a rotten start to 2012, that's for sure. Just as H&A looked to be stabilising a bit, Neighbours has taken one hell of a wobble at teatime, falling by approximately 15% year-on-year which is enough to take it under the magic million some days. Previously that was something which only occurred in exceptional circumstances like the day of the Royal Wedding for example.

The growing popularity of teatime gameshows Pointless and The Chase can't be helping, especially as the lunchtime figures for Neighbours at least look to be okay. The state of play in the 5pm hour is now vastly different to what it was when Neighbours launched on Channel 5 with each of the big four upping their game.

I do fear for the future of Ch5 daytime with these two mainstays now really struggling. Neighbours also lacks a sponsor at the moment after the contract with Debenhams came to an end last year.

BGT's opening episode has been moved to 7.30, The Voice to 7pm.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...medium=twitter

Facepalm. Oh dear ITV.

Still time for changes until tomorrow evening but normally they don't change from here.

Why are they showing BGT sooo early, 8 onwards was a perfect slot, and they could have regained viewers that may have watched The Voice, now people are more likely to watch and stay with The Voice, as ad breaks won't remind them to turn over... Stupid ITV, and I havent yet seen a single advert!!

Sounds like ITV are trying to move The Voice as early as they can get it. Hopefully so that they can then swap BGT and Take Me Out as many on here have suggested - but in the process making sure The Voice is on earlier than the BBC would have liked.

That's astonishing if it's true they are not even promoting it yet.

I think they are setting themselves up for a big fall if they continue to underestimate The Voice to this extent.

Oooooh, but surely the BBC would have just enough time to react, with a back up schedule, if this is a possibility?

Are they drinking at ITV towers or something?

I really can't get my head around it at all. Why are they doing this?

No surprise about C4 picking up the final 13 days of racing on the BBC. At time it looked like C4 might drop racing altogether but they worked together with racing authorities and sponsors to ensure 80 days of racing remained, while the BBC cut it down to just 13 days and opted for repeats of Question of Sport and Outtake TV in the early afternoon slots racing would previously fill nicely on a quiet afternoon.

Ratings wise - I think it'll do OK on C4. Yes, they'll be a drop but the days of BBC1 being the default channel for people looking for sport on a Saturday afternoon are long gone and C4 has long been the home of racing on Saturday afternoons and amongst the vast majority of racing fans is highly respected for it's coverage.


I hope so as otherwise it's already 1-0 to the Voice. Last episode or not TV Burp isn't going to entice people away from The Voice at 7pm in the same way Take Me Out might - and I'd say BGT would be better off going directly head to head from 7pm than starting half an hour into The Voice.

Not quite, as the Grand National would still enjoy huge audience figures on Channel 4( and would give them a guaranteed huge hit every year), but it is a huge shame as this event has been with the BBC for the decades. I suppose the Derby and Royal Ascot would be next to follow.
Unless the BBC, who have no live football after the Euros, are willing to axe the Grand National to get a big football contract.

Spot on, exactly what they are doing I think.

Either that or they just want to kill it with an earliest possible start and BGT ready and primed for those with itchy fingers at 7.30. A pincer movement which will strangle TV at birth.

I can see anyone who wants to watch both TV and BGT just waiting to catch BGT on +1, which will dent the first showing figure alot! And also could hurt Take Me Out in the process, as more people catching up on BGT while TMO is on the main channel, i can only see it coming back to bite ITV . . .

If these schedules are confirmed, I may have to nudge my 5.8m opener prediction for TV down to about 5.3m.

That less than SYTYCD Season 1, and not much higher than Season 2, both of which had ALOT less of a buzz!!!

A bit of a wait for Sherlock...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/17350954



Isn't Take Me Out designed to capture the young adult audience before they go out for the night. 8.45pm or 9pm seems a little late to be starting it, if that's the audience they're aiming for.

To clarify my earlier post, that 8.8m (65%) for last year's Grand National - during which temperatures were into the low 20's (celcius) and sunshine was abundant - was actually a 15 minute peak, so not even an absolute peak. It was the most watched GN by this measure since 2008, and only 3 others since 2001 faired any better.

So I'm completely dumbfounded by this suggestion that the event is/was in decline. Where is your evidence to support these dubious claims please?

Yeah, so they're already going to lose some viewers by the later start time, i just can't actually see how this could work out well for ITV at all?? Take Me Out wouldn't be starting on +1 until 10, which as you say means it's target audience has already gone out!

There is no such trend. Recommended reading for you: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...postcount=2363

Well The Guardian article says the BBC is currently spending a grand total of £2.5m per year on all of its racing rights.

It's basically 1% of the BBC's sports rights budget - barely loose change in the overall scheme of things.

I don't think £2.5m is enough for one football match, let alone a contract.