That argument doesn't follow either. How old is ITV(1)? 57 years old. How old is BBC TV? 76 years old. So both have been around long enough to spot a duff TV programme at 50 paces. And yet both continue to have plenty of big flops. Because television, like film, is impossible to get right every time.

Having said that, anyone with half a brain could have told ITV2 that The Exclusives was a disaster in the making,

And what about that new bodyguard show that the BBC light entertainment are planning. NO, BBC1, DON'T DO IT!!!!! LISTEN TO NOEL EDMONDS!! HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT!!

X Factor is such a load of trash.

Long X Factor post ahead, just a warning for anyone not interested to skip right past! I've followed the thread for a while and never felt the need to post until now.

It’s very easy to forget that the 2011 auditions, with the new judges, remain the most watched set of auditions since X Factor began. If a panel without Cheryl, Dannii and Simon can achieve that, then is bringing them back going to do anything, and are they really the reasons for the high figures to begin with? Probably not, especially as the return of Cheryl failed to boost last night’s figures and the loss has probably just made it more vulnerable to losing viewers rather than a direct cause. Likewise with Simon, BGT wasn’t up this year yet received a positive critical response. Which version made ITV the most money? Last year’s X Factor fell apart at the live shows because of the sheer length of each episode, some of them were touching on 3 hours long and the lost viewers just don't seem to have come back yet. There were some very good acts last year (contrary to what you read in the press) and plenty of new controversy that hasn’t happened before, but a decline that could have happened anyway.

I think the issues for X Factor are being overstated and over thought. The simple fact is, it’s going through a rough patch that all similar shows go through and the only way to fix it is to keep the programme consistent across a couple of years and get the right characters in terms of contestants. There are some contestants this year that are quite unique which should help. They just need to ride it out and it will correct itself. It’s caused by a combination of viewer fatigue, lazy & complacent production and greed from the channels (extending shows etc). I doubt it will ever get 15m again for a standard results show but it’s certainly possible to get it generally rating from 10-12m rather than 8-10m as this series seems to have settled at.

What ITV need to do now is make the live shows the best they possibly can without jumping the shark or being OTT with twists because it is the part of the show that tends to grow the most. They also need to take on viewer feedback in terms of the editing and direction of the show. It seemed to have helped with the final few auditions as what works in America doesn’t work here. And probably an unpopular opinion but they have to keep the same panel of judges for next year. They simply can’t have the fourth judging line up in four years, perhaps unless Simon returns (but he won’t). They had 3 line ups for the first 7 series, there is no reason to have so many now. All of the judges are competent, the panel just lacks a bit of spark which they’d get if they put Louis next to Nicole. Mel B is a terrible mentor and I doubt she’d do anything for the show anyway, if she was that good (and if the ratings were genuinely driven by who is on the panel) then surely they would have risen during the auditions?

That's wishful thinking at best to be honest. I couldn't care less about Rylan. If anything, he'd make me switch off instead of tune in. The show will most likely never reach the peak of 2010 again.

Well - thay HAVE just put him through - and after having to watch that ridiculously OTT desperate wannabe reaction, I'm more likely to switch off.
Untalented ****s like him aren't watchable - even in a carcrash tv kind of way!

If the Ryder Cup is on BBC1 now, The ratings would be huge

Stop posting the same shit. We get some of you dislike the x factor, but do you need to post the same complaint three times?

Fabulous stuff. Exactly what I pay Sky for

You get a lot of this on the internet and a lot of 'TV Critics' who will render viewers a certain way for watching certain programmes. It is very very insulting.

It seems a waste of life, tbh. Scripted top to bottom, the fake crying from every act I saw tonight...wow. If it's just a really bad soap, just why is it popular? There is no talent, it's all contrived, nobody has a personality etc etc etc....it would seem just because it is The X Factor, it is watched.

Nah, it's not.

Hope the Ryder Cup does well. It's been absolutely stunning!!

How can watching X-Factor be any more a waste of life than writing and complaining on a public forum about it?

How can it be a waste of life if those choosing to watch it are enjoying it?

Hmm, I now predict a 12m average for XF

I hope not.

I don't like the X-factor but I genuinely want people to stop watching it so we can finally start getting some refreshing new shows to watch. The same old, same as is, in my opinion, getting boring. But, unlike other posters, I am not insulting others who enjoy it. I just wish they didn't!

A waste of a life? Can we stop with the dramatics. It's a light entertainment TV show. Nobody has to watch it if they don't want to.

Why? We all know it won't average anywhere near 12m. More like 10m.

I watched TXF tonight with the landlady of the pub and we know it's hyped to high heaven, but I don't think it's a bad show. People should remember it's a very big hitter for ITV, makes money to pay for shows like DA and delivered some fantastic ratings in the past. I was a critic in the past, but I do find it an unwind before a week of work.

I say 9-9.3m tonight. 12m is awfully far-fetched.

Hassaan, you've missed The X Factor boat by about two years.


I agree, had it on all evening, been fantastic television. Europe have come back out of nowhere, deserves in the very least a 2m+ peak for Sky Sports 1.

Could well dent the esteemed X Factor.

It's hard to know what to predict for this week's show considering we're not completely sure how last week rated now. If it did get close to D.M.N.'s projection of 10.4m then surely there should be a further increase to nearer the 11m mark?

I think ITV1 will be relieved that the Ryder Cup isn't on one of the terrestrial channels.

But how many golf fans watch TXF and vice versa? Golf is a fairly big sport, but I doubt it would do too much damage to TXF.

I'm confused re these figures, are these definite figures for last Sunday and why did BARB cock up overnights? I do apologise if this has already been explained.

zero at a guess.