Forgot to mention Evans' other flops with UMTV (his company of ten years ago)- 'OFI Sunday' and 'Johnny Vegas: 18 Stone of Idiot". Cowell's had a few flops, but (so far) they're out-weighed by his massive successes. On TV, Evans has achieved nothing as a producer since the 90s. His new show for C5 (if true) sounds like a throwback to the appalling Richard Woolf era.

I knew it was old but I didn't realise it was before TFI Friday!

Creative, most of these shows we've mentioned have just been tired rehashed chat-shows.

As someone who knows next to nothing about football, I'm amazed that England seem to have better odds than Italy for winning the tournament. Have Italy gone really crap or something?

Oh, I dunno, it's far better with Jon Richardson involved than it was with Jason Manford and Sean Lock is still brilliant. I doubt it will affect the perception of the show because it was never massively satirical or angry, and indeed that's one of the reasons why I like it. Everyone seems to have a nice time on it, even the usual punching bags like Amy Childs or Jedward are ribbed in good humour and nobody's noticed but they also have a huge amount of female guests on which is a rarity in this kind of thing. I have a great time with it, even though the format is achingly contrived.

As far as the ratings goes, its scheduling does leave loads to be desired, sometimes you have one series a year, sometimes three, sometimes it's on for six weeks, sometimes twelve, sometimes it's at nine, sometimes at 10.30, sometimes it's half an hour, sometimes it's fifty minutes, C4 just seem to whack it out whenever they had awkward gaps in the schedules, so it's no surprise the ratings fluctuate as massively as they do.


Indeed, it was in the made-up TV guides in the Sunday papers about six months ago. Of course it's back to back with Take Me Out creating a Paddy McGuinness Double Bill, which I'm sure everyone will agree is a rare treat.

It's better to put it on in a post-watershed slot because panel games are not primetime Saturday night viewing, Odd One In and The Marriage Ref both proved that. It is still cast adrift on a Saturday, though, and also looks bloody awful. But then, I am the only person I thought The Marriage Ref could have worked (with a different slot, presenter, panellists and focus, natch).


Indeed, though I do like Evans as a presenter, on The One Show I find him perfectly likeable. I'd love to see an episode of Toothbrush again actually, it was an incredible series. If they get this right it might be amiable enough, I don't see what's wrong with a relentlessly silly series, I doubt it'll be primetime Saturday night.

Spanish ratings are in last night, football got 10,4m viewers and a 76% share on Telecinco. The peak was 12.6m and 84.3%.

That was 4 million down on their game v Croatia, the article below puts that down to people watching in bars etc, as it was on a Saturday night.

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/0...340538248.html

French ratings are also in and they aren't that impressive really.

TF1 averaged 11.3m (52% share), with a peak of 13m.

I'm Italian and it's annoying me, Of course they are not as good as years ago, but:

Italy have won 4 world cups and 1 Euro
England have won 1 world cup and no Euro's.

So it baffles me why the Eng team and everyone in the country is so cocksure that England will win.

Italy won the WC in 2006, England won in 1966. Says it all.

Forza Italia. That is all

Yesss

Also it annoys me. You read the newspapers here and there are things like "Pizza Cake" (Piece of Cake) and that England will defeat the Italians. And then you look at Italian TV/newspapers and they all say how they respect the English and like them and think England are a very good team..... I think England are coming off really bad in this.

Bookies odds are based on what money is going on, if Idjit English punters are piling on Roy, that's how it will go.

Was anyone watching TV last night at all?
why we have no ratings yet?

It seems to be the same in every tournament to my memory; people say things like "England have a really good chance this time" blah blah blah, usual press hysteria etc...heard it all before, so many times!

We have the tabloid culture, it means we come across badly in many walks of life, I'm afraid

Salvatore, this Italian team is rubbish compared to what theyve had in the past. Some of those players like Buffon have allegedly been involved with corruption and match fixing so why shuold the English tabloids give them respect? They will get beaten tonight by the mighty England.

Saying that, the past can't predict everything - France had a much better team this Euros than their disastrous World Cup just 2 years ago.

I think tonight's match is interesting - an England team who many came in with low expectations, with a manager who many saw as the 'cheap' option after Capello but now are perceived to be on the rise with a group win (no matter how dubious some of the matches may have been) and some pretty good performances. Italy have a slightly worse track record in their games (WDD) and didn't win their group.

I don't think England have it easy at all - they're going to have to do some special stuff tonight to beat the Italians, but the odds in this tournament so far are for them.

I know they are not as good, but why underestimate a team that have won 3 more WC than you + a Euro Cup? The match fixing is shameful I know, but I have looked at Spanish tabloids and they also like England and Spanish like Italy. It's the English tabloids slating every single team on the Euro's. I can just imagine the amount of stick they will give the Germans if they beat Italy saying they will win.... urm, I think they forget the 4:1 a couple of years ago.

England have nothing to get cocky about. It's always the same. Maybe they can get cocky when they win and stop going on about winning 46 years ago.

Nottingham Forest have won the European Cup twice before, which is two more than Arsenal have. That doesnt mean Arsenal should be afraid of Nottingam Forest if they played today. Whats happened in the past stays in the past and based on current form, England shuold be confident playing Italy. Also I dont think the English tabloids said anything bad about France or Sweden this year.

I agree, Salv, I do sometimes look at the BB board and laugh at some of the obsessives who post about the person who came second last in BB 3- like hardly anyone else will remember. Only the hardcore fans seem bothered about it now.
Also those who don't watch tend to be over 35 . I know most people who watch it seem to watch it are young women and teenagers, same as most reality shows. They just don't seem to click with men and older people.

That's the British tabloids for you.

But yes, the past. As in long in the past where there was a different team. In 2006, 2008, 2010 there were similar people playing on the teams. For example, in 2012 we still have 4 or 5 players that played in 2006 (the year they won).

I don't think England have changed from 2008-2010 in 2012. Yes, they should have high spirits and be patriotic BUT to be so sure to beat Italy is a bit far fetched... a poll conducted on FB said that 76% of people believe England will win the Euro's. That's a very high amount for a team that has never won a Euro Cup, and Germany, 11% to win (when they have won 3 times). They could be at least realistic.

Consolidated BARB update:

Match average for England v Sweden: 14.25m (51.8%) (BBC1/HD)
Match average for England v France: 12.55m (54.1%) (ITV1/HD)

Overnight ENG v SWE: 14.31m (55.1%)
Overnigh ENG v FRA: 12.60m (57.7%)

Agreed. However, I think CBB skews a different audience with more men and older people watching. I think it was CBB7 which skewed a higher than usual male audience (Vinnie Jones possibly?) and a much older audience. This year had Gareth and there was a slightly higher % of men watching (rugby fans?). I think for high ratings success, you can only hope for CBB. They should do what they are doing now and then add a couple of sports players (which they have been doing) because this interests the men, this is why CBB is more popular than BB at the moment.

I think Ch5 have done very well with BB IMO (except for you know what). I think BB12, CBB9 and so far BB13 have been improvements than most of the last years on Ch4.

Dancing on Ice are going for some A-listers next series ... a minor actor from EastEnders Matt Lapinskas and Jodie Marsh.

The person who came second-last in BB3 is actually a regular on This Morning.

Jodie Marsh? I hope she does well if it's true. I think she gets a lot of unneeded hate. I have more respect for her ever since the bullying TV shows to help teens and children and her body building shows (which she has achieved so much in).