The overnights on the first showing:

3.13m (17.4%) (+1: 178k/0.9%).

The official figures were 3.07m.

To be fair ITV have probably taken bigger risks than BBC1 with their drama over the last year or so - but they perhaps need to take some more commercial risks rather than creative risks.

The X Factor returns to the same gap as episode one, with it being 2.5m down on last year's respective episode. Not quite panic stations but certainly a massive concern. I do wonder whether Syco are trying a few formats out on the audition programmes in preparation to edit and air the US version as the US version does not have a presenter? I think the format of episodes 1, 2 and 3 have been slightly different from one another.

Doctor Who remained steady on last year's launch which surprises me slightly considering the later start time and the relatively strong lead out on ITV1 - but the two shows didn't boost each other at all.

The reason behind this could be the Paralympics which picked up a very strong rating for Channel 4. Red or Black? wasn't damaged too badly by Doctor Who but Fool Britannia didn't pull up any trees in the early slot. Celebrity Big Brother is performing consistently for Channel 5.

I will say in ITV's defence Whitechapel, DA and Benidorm are justifiably big hits and they are better on the main channel than they were in the noughties. It's just it worries me what happens when the Cowell shows run out of steam, as they will need decent replacements. I'm of the opinion something like Stars in Their Eyes, a decent show that got me into karaoke, should come back.
I would never ever want ITV to fail and die off as to me it is a vital part of our broadcasting history and for all I grumble about it now and again, I still have feelings for it.

There could be a massive peak in the Paralympics tonight...

But surely only the people already watching will know about this?

I don't understand how it will create a peak not unless everyone has psychic powers and knows when to turn over..........

Lots of Twitter etc buzz about it. OP and Dave Weir should have created a peak, controversy or otherwise.

Incidentally, I think the coverage today has been great - fantastic studio team this evening. Tone of the interview with person involved in controversy is my only criticism. Hope ratings reflect.

This has always utterly mystified me about ITV. I keep wishing someone would ask Fincham about it in an interview or at the TV festival. Is there a single other commercial TV company in the world who take this approach to drama? I can't think of one - certainly not in the US, or Australia either. It's so oddly uncommercial.

In uncertain financial waters, surely finding the big, returnable hits - the successors to Doc Martin and Downton Abbey - must be drama priority number 1,2 and 3 for the company? If so, why spend so much time and money on the laudable, but ultimately profit-less Last Weekend, Mrs Biggs or A Mothers Son? I could understand if they took huge audiences or were essential to public perceptions of the channel. But in reality they rarely break-out to attract huge viewing figures, they're usually over before the public-at-large begins to appreciate them, and they don't sell well overseas.

I'm not saying we need to go too far the other way, and wind up with stuff like Heartbeat or The Bill that slowly morphs into a soap. But I can't fathom why there aren't many more 10 or 13 parters at least. Perhaps the 10-part Mr Selfridge might be a turning point on this score. Indeed, with ITV's repeated statements about the importance of overseas sales, the need for a more considerable number of episodes in order to sell a drama can't have escaped their attention.

The peak will follow the event as news spreads; it won't be at the time the controversy took place.

The interview with the Brazilian was awful - and I thought Phil Jones was bad!

I see what you are referring to now. I have just seen the story, quite in depth on BBC news after George Gently.

In reality, C4 is attracting a million and a half more viewers than they normally get. So the Paralympics is already pulling quite large audiences. Would there be a lot more people wanting to watch considering those who are watching are doing so because they have an interest in the games? The people not watching possibly won't even be aware who this Oscar bloke is (and I don't!) so therefore might not necessarily be that bothered?

The twitter activity may also be from those currently watching and/or have an interest in it.

Or I could be wrong and a massive peak may occur!

Daybreak relaunches in the morning as...Daybreak.
Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones present, Matt Barbet doing the newsy stuff.
I haven't seen a single advert for the change. If memory serves me right Adrian Chiles wanted a low-key launch originally, and I can't think of anything more low-key than this.

It's completely the opposite of the 2010 launch.

In 2010 they had a PR launch with journalists allowed in the studio the weekend before the first show. This year, the studio has been embargoed until 6am.

its so the press dont get wind its the old GMTV Studio

It's weird really when you look back at the whole News at When period when ITV1 quite often had one and two parters on Mondays and Tuesdays (which rated very well at the time) - but then longer running series usually on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It feels like a decade or so on they're still doing the short run series, but have all but ditched the long running series that accompanied them.

I do think British TV drama is in a pretty poor state at the moment. I was reading an article on TV Tonight yesterday about yet another Home and Away actor who has landed a gig on US television and it's bizarre really how more of the H&A have gone to Hollywood and actually found success than all British soaps put together - and even in the UK many of the biggest names in soaps leave and find out pretty quickly there just aren't the opportunities in British television for them outside of the soap role that made them famous.

It makes no sense either how one the one hand we have a very successful history in year round soap and serial dramas, but when it comes to drama series very few stretch beyond eight weeks, never mind 13. As viewers coming into the autumn surely we should know that certain shows will be on certain nights pretty much through to Christmas - but with both the BBC and ITV the majority of drama debuting this week will be off air by the end of the month.

Possibly but Pistorius actually ran in the Olympics so his name is well known; arguably he's more famous than any British Paralympian so the press will seize this.

In response to Brekkie, I can remember when Doctor Who ran for six months of the year and also Emmerdale used to go off for the summer.

A man after my own heart Glenn, i adored stars in their eyes, but never seem to find much enthuiasm out of anyone but i still have tapes of the finals-like someone suggested a classic duets version with holographic artists would be good

Doctor Who won't get pulled, that's guaranteed. BBC Worldwide need the money, and there'd be outrage if it aired in the States first. (Similar to the brief furor over Torchwood: Miracle Day airing in the US first, except on a larger scale).

It might not retain it's prime slot though. (Although, if the BBC were to move it, no doubt it's dedicated audiencedwould be pissed off, and they'd end up regretting it.)

I agree that it would be nice for more long running dramas to launch. I commend ITV this week though as they have lots of good looking dramas on! It would just be nice to have more ten or thirteen parters on... they could launch in the first week of September, then viewers would know they will be on until Christmas, every week in the same slot on the same day. Then ITV would have a loyal audience tuning in week after week and a buzz would hopefully be created.

With these one off dramas, they're on and next thing you know that's it, they're all over! And no buzz has been created and no loyal audience has really been attracted to sticking with the channel as a whole.

I still think it was a massive mistake to axe The Bill. I agree they need a show like the Bill in their schedules, a pre watershed drama that runs for most weeks of the year. The Bill provided that and the changes to the show's format was so unnecessary and killed the show off. It still had a good audience and I imagine the demographic it attracted was quite healthy, it still had everything going for it! ITV will be looking for a pre watershed drama like the Bill now to replace it I bet, so what was the point in ruining the show and axing it in the first place?

I think it could work with the new technology you're suggesting. After all, it was never officially axed and has been rested since 2006. However, please no celebs, this should be a general public show.

In The Netherlands, new entertainment format 'Stars Diving' which launched last week is becoming a big hit. Yesterdays episode averaged 1.6million viewers, up 0.2million from last weeks first episode after there was lots of positive buzz. It beat Strictly Come Dancings 1m and Beat the Best's 0.8m. It is the most popular new entertainment show in Holland since The Voice.

For all you Ratings Thread fans of this new hit format, you can watch episode 2 here: http://www.sbs6.nl/programmas/sterre...pringen-show-2

The bidding war will be on soon to see which UK broadcaster can win the rights to this hot new format. I dont believe the show is made by a major production company therefore UK broadcasters also have an opportunity here to pick up the rights to actually make the show here in the UK with their sister production companies [BBC Productions, ITV Studios, Channel5 Productions] or indies can bid for it as Shed UK did successfully with The Voice. There is also an opportunity here to get the global distribution rights.

In the 1960's the shortest of the six series of Who produced was 39 episodes, it was only off in July and August.

Its not an entirely uncommon strategy for broadcasters just beginning to expand into original scripted content. Although even then they tend to experiment with short orders for drama with returnable potential. I'm not entirely sure what's going on with ITV drama though. I suppose you can make the argument that they can only work with what they've got and if no one is pitching or writing particularly good returnable drama there's not a whole lot they can do although I'm not sure I'd buy that argument.

Although in ITV's defence they have tried a few new returnable drama the past few years with mixed results to say the least. They've tried with Scott & Bailey, Monroe, Eternal Law and DCI Banks the past few years (plus I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff). And they've got Selfridge and the army wives drama on the horizon which both read like returnable drama.


It wasn't a great interview but I'm not sure what else they could have done really. They couldn't not address the issue with him and its best to just address these things head on. It would probably been better if they'd been a bit more sincere with their congratulations rather than had that tacked on a second thought. I do however think the whole thing has been blown somewhat out of proportion and horribly misreported by some sections of the press. Looking at (and listening to) Pistorius' comments he didn't actually seem to be 'raging' at Oliveira as some sections of the media have claimed but rather the IPC who haven't done anything before the games to deal with the issue. It'll be interesting to see how he follows up on the comments tomorrow with the media storm that's brewing.


Given that so few people actually watch Doctor Who live does it actually matter where the BBC air it? And that's a genuine question by the way. Sure a tiny minority of the dedicated fans will kick up a fuss about it not being on prime time Saturday night but surely increasingly the evidence suggests that actually it doesn't matter where the BBC schedule the show because people record it (presumably via series link) and watch it when they want or watch it via catch-up services and the iPlayer. And frankly if people really want it on prime time Saturday night they should try watching it live every once in a while.

To be honest with you I think the best news BBC America could get about Doctor Who is that the BBC are moving it off of Saturday nights. Saturday night is a horrible night for television in the US. Chances are it would do a hell of a lot better for them on Sunday night for example but they've taken to airing it Saturday night to try and avoid spoilers and stop people downloading it etc. etc.. I suspect that if the BBC were to move Doctor Who BBCA would follow suit. And I really think the BBC should consider moving Doctor Who to Sunday night. Not because I think more people will watch it there but because I'd really like to see them start up a 'Sunday family serial' slot at 6 or 7 on Sunday night and Doctor Who's a good show to kick that off with.

Channel 4 show The Games held a diving round; I'm surprised the broadcaster didn't bring it back this year considering it's Olympics Year - it didn't rate too badly IIRC; indeed the reason it finished was because they had ran out of celebrities to take part but I'm sure a few more would have crawled out of the woodwork by now.

As for the programme you posted above, could the BBC extend Strictly's format...Strictly Come Diving? I think it'd flop badly on ITV and Channel 5. Because the aforementioned connection with The Games it may not disgrace itself on Channel 4.

It was the continuing drama of its day, but vital to the BBC as they were still struggling to fight off a massive onslaught from ITV, who had dominated ratings from 1955 to 1962.