Theres a show about ratings on Itv1 soon:
Quote:
“TV's Biggest Blockbusters
Saturday, 21 July 2012, 8:35PM - 10:30PM
As 2012 sees Britain complete the digital switchover, this two-hour special for ITV1 counts down the biggest rating television shows ever to hit our screens.
These days, shows and events such as The X Factor final, England football matches and royal weddings still manage to pull in huge audiences as the nation gets together to watch talked-about TV.
But back in the days of a mere four channels to choose from, even the most unexpected shows could attract staggering viewing figures.
Split into four categories, Entertainment; Live Events; Drama and Soaps; and Comedy, TV’s Biggest Blockbusters counts down the top ten shows with the biggest audiences in each section.
This exclusive programme, based purely on viewing figures, features ratings hits such as Jim’ll Fix It, The Royal Variety Performance, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Bread, and also reveals more unusual ratings blockbusters.
Who knew an episode of Neighbours where nothing much happens could have attracted an audience of over 21 million during a stormy night in Britain in February 1990?
Or that the highest ever rating episode of game show Double Your Money, with an audience of 19.4 million, was filmed in Soviet Russia? Host Hughie Green wasn’t even allowed to hand out cash in the communist state, so had to change the prizes to commodities instead with a TV being worth more than the average annual wage.
Who can forget the cubs eating their dinner on a rollercoaster on Jim’ll Fix It? Or Torvill and Dean skating at the final of the 1994 Winter Olympics?
Dirty Den serving Angie with divorce papers on Christmas Day in the Queen Vic? Or Hilda Ogden leaving the Weatherfield cobbles for the last time?
And who remembers Oh No It’s Selwyn Froggitt – which drew in a mammoth 21 million viewers during March 1977. Or Market in Honey Lane, a soap about a market in East End London which made it to number seven in the countdown with an audience of 19.5m in 1969.
And they discuss the huge worldwide events like the shooting of JFK and the Apollo 13 mission which saw television sets being used for the first time as a means of watching the news unfold across the pond.
During the Entertainment show countdown, which includes hits such as Double Your Money, It’ll Be Alright on the Night and This is You Life, TV Presenter Melanie Sykes reveals that she once wrote to Jimmy Saville hoping he could make her dreams come true.
She says: “I wanted Jim to fix it for me to be a Charlie’s Angel. It never happened.”
Sir Trevor McDonald talks about the countdown of Live Events, including the Apollo 13 mission to land on the moon in 1970.
He talks about the nation watching live coverage on television to find out if the astronauts would return to earth safely after Apollo 13 suffered a fire and the mission was aborted. He says: “This is supposed to be the start of the new age of space travel…it must not end in failure.”
In the drama and soaps category, which includes London’s Burning, Neighbours, Dallas and The Sweeney, William Roache looks back on Inspector Morse. He says: “Inspector Morse was always classic crime with a little bit of culture.”
In the comedy category, which includes To The Manor Born, The Benny Hill Show and Only Fools and Horses, actress Jean Boht talks about her role as Mrs Boswell in hit sitcom Bread.
She says: “We were all very individual personalities and created characters, but what made it work was the table scenes.””
They can celebrate their success but don't get carried away.
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