Based on one live show and its results. Brilliant. Of course, The X Factor in September 2004 was getting far lower audiences.

Right so you ignore and lambast tabloid reports about ITV shows [remember all those Adrian and Christine to be dropped from Daybreak stories that you rubbished] but Daily Star stories about BBC shows are to be believed You're as credible as ever I see.

I see Daybreak has new hosts I seem to remember you spinning Adrian and Christine as 'doing very well' up until a day before they were dropped. Of course you were ''busy at work'' the day they were dropped.

The C4 series is for four episodes. I wonder if fans record them all and never delete them off their Sky box?


Hollyoaks can't say it hasn't had it's chances and perhaps if it did go but C4 ring fences the money for drama series - including pre-watershed teen drama, it might be a move worth making. I still think though C4 need to sort out 8-11pm first - no real improvement has been made in the last year IMO.


Another reason that the demise of kids shows and Saturday morning shows especially is harming TV and the industry as a whole. Actors, popstars and general TV folk just don't have anywhere to go really now to do a bit of fun promotion - it's either run of the mill daytime TV or shows where they have to pretend to be interested in cooking or who sang best on The X Factor that night.


They're going for wooly jumpers and comfy slippers then.


And picking up on that comedy news, Broadcast are reporting today that the BBC are struggling to get sitcom ideas through the door as Sky and now ITV are luring them away - so maybe ITV are actually going to take this comedy slot thing rather seriously.

I'm glad you're recognising my superior viewpoint on the subject. LOL

Headline in tomorrows Mirror

'Cowell in secret BBC talks'

Apparently though based on nothing, BBC might be considering a drama from Syco I think?

Or he hasn't paid his licence fee.

A drama? I can't see them creating a drama (well, not a pure drama anyway). Another light entertainment show I can understand.

why was their a promo for Whitechapel on the BBC this evening?

as for The Gadget Show, im not exactly impressed, it wasnt that long ago it would be getting 1.5 million easy.

As for Daybreak is Lorraine Kelly really happy to do the full show? and yeah Aled Jones, typical ITV poaching from the BBC.

I know ive said before that British soaps are stronger than some of their international counterparts, but this year im not so sure.

You what? Never in the history of the programme has it "got 1.5 million easy."

I thought Daybreak had been axed ???

There were suggestions that it would be 'renamed' - TBH I don't really see the point of that. They can change the show without changing the name. The name is the least of their worries.

It appears Lorraine is continuing as a separate show as well, so she'll ditch Aled for the last hour. And it's hardly poaching of the scale of Adrian and Christine, but a rather shrewd mood in going for someone I suspect a certain type of Breakfast viewer who wouldn't think of watching ITV in the morning might be tempted by.

No reason too why Aled won't continue with Songs of Praise - Eamonn Holmes used to be one of the presenters.

The Graham Norton Show is about to do a rip off of The Choice (as posted on here earlier this week). I hope FOX lawyers aren't watching.

Lol, yes everyone seems to have forgotten that. It shows how yesterday's papers are tomorrow's chip paper!


The headline said 'Daybreak Axed' though, you had to read way into the story to realise that it actually wasn't being axed.

it certainly use to get over 1 million regularly.

In short... He's supposedly furious that they've poached one of his executives for ITV Studios. Generally unhappy with ITV and just a rehash of all the other stuff we've seen before. He called Danny Cohen to congratulate him on The Voice during which he proposed some drama idea and it's now in the very early stages of development.

The gist of it is that Syco won't be dealing solely with ITV in the future.

Although I suspect new ideas might be as likely to launch on US networks as they are on BBC/ITV.


They'd co-produce, no doubt.

Unhappy with ITV for what? Agreeing to air a second series of Red or Black despite the fact it was an unmitigated disaster for all it's hype? Sticking by him while The X Factor went into freefall last autumn? Not kicking off more in public after he deserted them to chase an American dream, allowing both Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor to drift somewhat?

Yes, he's got a lot to be angry at them about...

It's just rehashing the same stories that came out in that book (some of them dating back to a falling out in 2007-2008 with someone no longer at ITV). They've thrown in the Shu Greene thing as well. It's one of those stories which may have some basis in truth but lots of "colour" added. It'd hardly be surprising if Cowell wanted to work with someone like Danny Cohen (providing they can both fit their heads into one room!) so one day the story might look like it was true. But it's a long way off.

There ought be a bumper FA cup final rating today, I can see a match average of 7m+, the length of the programme slot on ITV1 is a bit long for a main channel, I will be watching ESPN (ideally commercial free) but hopefully ITV1 can rate 5.5m slot average.

There are a lot of big television programmes for viewers to watch both on Saturday and Sunday, but the weather looks pretty sunny for a May Bank Holiday weekend. The ratings will be hard to predict accurately.

HIGNFY 5.1m
Not Going Out 4.3m

Were the highest rating (non +1) shows between 9:00 and 10:00 last night.

Sam Hodges Twitter

I wonder if PMLS rated 4.3+ including +1?

Decent rating for HIGNFY, recovered a bit from last week's drop. I think part of the reason HIGNFY has returned to 5m + overnights this series is because it is not being dragged down by Holby City in Scotland like it was last series.

I expect the soaps will have been low last night as they usually are on a Friday night before a bank holiday weekend

I'll watch buildup, HT analysis and post-match (if L'pool win) on ESPN. Match itself on ITV1HD purely for HD.

A chance for ESPN to break the million mark today I think with no adverts. With an all-day buildup, the main event starts from 4.45pm on that channel, or 90 minutes earlier on ITV1. Their post-match is slightly longer though, which won't matter too much if there is Extra Time/Penalties.

Big day for Rebecca Lowe as well who I believe is fronting ESPN's coverage.

Dancc, am I right in saying that in previous years ESPN ran unencrypted (ie those without ESPN can see it) until the main start at 4:45pm?

It seems that they are not doing that this year for some reason, I can't view it at the moment.

Possibly. I'm sure I've read about them doing stuff like that before, but I can't remember if that included Cup Final day or not.

Yep, Life Stories averaged 4.5m (inc +1) according to Lord Sugar on Twitter.

Pretty good for all 3 shows there.