I am worried about the show's future. The cast seem to be getting a bit doubtful. If I were the BBC I would be looking for a replacement just in case.

But yes it is a great show I don't know about you but it feels like an expensive show to me because it's so well made. And probably because is so expensive!

It usually get 5m in the overnight doesn't it? Hopefully it's up on last year.

Ken

I've grown to like Merlin more and more too. Doctor Who style adventure, but it doesn't make your head hurt.

It's always been a rather unappreciated ratings force, too (though I think more people have noticed it's worth of late). The job it does up against The X Factor is remarkable, to be honest. Very high average in the officials of 7.17m last year, by my calculations. It obviously tends to grow alongside Strictly as the autumn rolls on, though, and taking out the timeshift - yes, 5.something would be the expected result tonight.

It does sound like the cast are beginning to eye the exit - though the creators/writers seem as happy to continue as they ever have. I reckon they'll get a sixth series - as it's a show that I think they'll feel needs 'wrapping up' properly - but that might be it. In terms of replacements, The Musketeers, commissioned by the BBC earlier this year seems fairly obvious...

I was thinking it might have been an idea for ITV to swap Homefront with Monroe; burn off Homefront against big-hit New Tricks and give Monroe a fighting chance against lower-rating Hunted (although these days it's not simply BBC1 v ITV1 with so many other channels capable of picking up a significant chunk of viewers). However, I've looked on the RT and ITV websites and they're both still showing Monroe on Monday and Homefront on Thursday.

~Beatles trending at number 1 on Twitter, good

Wasn't that 10x60mins from memory? I quite liked the sound off that. I feel one more family adventure drama on Saturday night would be great.

The Musketeers sound's promising to me. But then again so did Robin Hood and that sadly was not good at all.

I believe it's these kind off family dramas that the BBC do so well.

Ken

I think Merlin will dent the first half hour of X Factor, I may be completely wrong, but I wonder what the chances are on Merlin beating The X Factor head-to-head?

Personally, I think it's unlikely, but with The X Factor unsteady, if it had ~6.5m in the first half hour, Merlin may well potentially have higher than that.

I cannot believe that the very first Beatles single and the very first official James Bond film were released on the very same day in history (5th October 1962)

Nothing to do with ratings of course (apart from James Bond films having a history of pulling in huge viewing figures) but I just think Wow! How amazing is that! The most successful British pop act and the most successful British film series coming to prominence at pratically the same time.

Well TXF wheeled out 1D for the most ill-placed and stupid interview ever, then had Dermot chat to some c-list Olympian in the audience #ratingswinner

please dont tell me X-Factor has been slaughtering Beatles classics?

Arena on BBC2 now is telling the story of the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour followed at 10.45 by a rare TV showing of the film itself. MMT was originally screened by BBC1 at 8.35pm on Boxing Day 1967, seemingly to an awful lot of from a bewildered viewing public.

It is very weird isn't it, makes you wonder about confluences of time. Two of the most lasting modern cultural things, no one could have thought it at the time.

Good that a real cultural phenom can beat a modern forgettable nonsense, if only for a short while on Twitter, but of course for decades in the real world.

Edit, oh wait a minute they're back top again now

A possible link here? Maybe ITV are planning a shake-up of the schedule in the week of 20-26 October, and that's why the channel's schedule is still blank for that week on Digiguide.

I would say Homefront is more likely to be protected by ITV than Monroe, though. They obviously didn't have high hopes for Monroe or they wouldn't have sent it to die against New Tricks, when it was only just beating repeats of New Tricks last series.

For Homefront, the new drama hope, to get 2.30m/10% (2.57m with +1) in week two, just ahead of BBC2's The Choir, is a calamity, and I think some kind of remedial action will be taken, and it needs to be before the week of 20-26 October, when Homefront will be on its penultimate episode anyway.

including ITV 2, 3 & 4?

Also its not like Digiguide isnt used to having TBA in its early scheuldes.

Indeed - strictly just didn't quite feel right at 9pm last night, but tonight's was really enjoyable!

Yet it's perfectly acceptable for Strictly fans to say X Factor is stale. I'm no Strictly fan at all but after it's revamp a couple of years back I did feel it had become a little less exclusive and a bit more fun and appealing to a wider audience - but so far this series I've found it quite stuffy, and I suspect like The X Factor will be down this year.

Obviously every weekend this thread will go to war over 72 pages over who won the ratings war but I suspect as last year Strictly will edge it on a Saturday and The X Factor win on the Sunday - though nobody here will just call it a draw.

I think XF gets bashed all the time here and still gets decent figures. Many people are saying tonights show was the worst ever, dont know how much of an effect it'll have.

It was lacking a spark that even last year's first show had. For me, it had to have a good first live show to start closing the gap to last year - I don't think it had it.

It was a weak first live show for XFactor tonight, as bad as last year if not worse. The talent is always average or bad overall so that wasnt any different. But there were very few talking points tonight and it was a dull affair. Ryland was the only contestant who got people talking and create the "buzz". In previous XFactor years, there were 3 or 4people that got people chatting as well as the judges. In 2010, it was Wagner for his terrible singing, Cher for being a brat, Katie Weasle for just being annoying and top set of judges were on a roll. Theres not much to talk about this series' final 13, theyre okay singers but its not at the same level of entertainment which XFactor used to have a few years ago and because theres less to talk about, the ratings wont go up as much or as quickly. I predict less than 9million average for XFactor because of this dull episode and a drop in the ratings next week.

I agree about the lack of spark but the quality of talent was poor; i watched in fast forward and only stuck Ella, Melanie and Kye to the end, the rest were either boring or dire or both-Strictly on the other hand was vastly better tonight-definately suits the early evening slot and i'm a little awe struck by lisa riley :-P

Any friday soap ratings?

Radical thinking (or not, lazy scheduling perhaps) but I'd consider sticking Xtra Factor on ITV1.

It'd take away from ITV2 but it deserves the wider audience. Its quite like Soccer AM in it's peak

Not sure it would work on ITV1, which is already suffering from over-saturation where XF is concerned, although I do agree it's a great spin-off show - probably my favourite of all these 'spin-offs'. Caroline and Olly have great chemistry.

I couldn't get my head around the One Direction interview. Random, random, random...

I think the talent is far better than last year's crop by a country mile.

1D have a single out this evening (believe that may be the motivation of Syco there!)

Harsh to call Trott a C-List Olympian. None of them asked for fame