The storyline was awful but the reveal was good. Haven't watched in ages and watched out of curiosity like I think a few viewers would have done. If the rating stays static it'll be a disappointment.

I never trust Twitter trends for ratings. Some of the lowest rating and youngest skewing shows do well on Twitter. However I do try and gauge opinion from the comments. I was looking for comments where people were saying it was the first time they'd watched EastEnders in awhile. There were quite a few comments so I think a boost for tonight's episode is possible.

I'm talking overnights here.

I have no idea about the consolidated as BARB split ITV ratings into SD, HD, +1, -4, left-handed viewers, viewers who've been to Greece on holiday, those who like Marmite, those who hate Marmite.....

It's too complicated to work out.

this kind of episode is what EastEnders does best, even when its at its worst, with proper planning, it can pull this kind of thing out its back pocket and both be really good, and get good ratings.

This storyline points to this, the episodes leading up to it, and the idea of us not knowing who the affair was with, were both (if not many) poor decisions on the shows part, but the reveal was a really strong episode.

Classic EastEnders.

Don't really watch the soaps but see a few clips here and there and know what's going on as headlines pop up on Twitter. Corrie and Emmerdale sound like they're in a rich vein of form with EastEnders lagging behind. The turnaround quality wise could start with tonight's episode

you would like to hope, but with EE, I dont think you can say that a reveal episode being good, means anything, as (as I said above) that is what EE always has been able to, and always will be able to do well. Its basically in the shows DNA.

Yes you need an equation and a code cracking machine to work it all out!

That's true. One swallow doesn't make a Summer. Enders needs a consistent run of good episodes to turn things around.

it needs for the episode leading up to a big reveal to be good, and for the reveals to not be so predictable. As good as this episode was, the reveal was not in anyway shocking.

If the show can get even a half decent acting performance out of Shane Ritchie, it can do better.

Dan seems to be stuck in a time warp where Eastenders is concerned bless him.

Twitter has never reflected a shows rating and never will ever. One good episode of EE means nothing its still not must see TV anymore we hear about this nonsense of EE getting a boost near enough for months now yet we still wait.

One person to write the episodes?! He'll suffer from Jonathan Creek-itis, like Mr Renwick.

After a few years, he'll grow sick of the show and kill them all in a fire.


I wouldn't say it's been brilliant, but it's been slightly above average to what the other soaps have been offering so far. Nearly a month or so until the Tyrone/Kirsty storyline comes full circle.


It needs better storylines basically. Eastenders were very good at dealing with gritty stuff but in the last few years, plots have been all over the place. Who frankly gives a toss about Kat having an affair? It's been done before and it's always, always Alfie who has to pick up the pieces.

I always feel a measure of a good storyline is the impact it has on the community. That will ultimately bring in the viewers. Probably the best one in the last decade was Richard Hillman's killing spree, which had great repercussions -- from Gail and Audrey to Ashley and Emily. Two national grid power surges: not bad.

Two things are you willing to take me up on the ratings wager I mentioned in an earlier post and text Santa bombed last year so it will do five million at most,

Twitter is not a reliable or respectable barometer of tv viewing habits.

Shall we buy him a cow pie.

Robbies I'll win the Euromillions before EE reaches that figure again.

So who was the sleazy shagger shagging?

Last night's episode was excellent and in general I think it's been pretty good.

EastEnders was also very good tonight but these big episodes are nothing new, at its worst the show still managed to pull a good episode out of the bag now and again - the problem is the show now seems to focus everything on these big 'reveals' that the day-to-day stuff has been completely neglected. No point having a decent climax if the months of build-up has been tedious, repetitive garbage.

I partly blame Santer for that as that approach to storytelling was used quite heavily when he was producing. More and more storylines seem to be relying on 'explosive reveals' and it's not the way the show should be written.

Ratings-wise I'll be stunned if it's not at least above 8m tonight. Quite a few people were talking about it today so I'm expecting some sort of rise.

Re-read my post I said nothing about ratings AT ALL just the fact that people were talking about it on twitter



No while I have no doubts about EastEnders doing well at xmas I will only bet £50 quid on it There's no point in me saying I won't talk about EastEnders because this is never going to be the case.Text santa might have bombed last year but so did strictly,X factor ect in their first series (compared to the latter years) it's had a lot of promotion and I think it's in the right slot too.

It wasn't a prediction but sarcasm.

If it did get 10m, which it obviously won't, we might at least find something else to talk about....

Oh dear, one would almost think you didn't have the power to exercise free will...

Bits and pieces...

BBC Daytime Controller Liam Keelan is going to run Sky 1. He has been in charge of BBC Daytime since 2006. At Sky he will report to Stuart Murphy. For a channel which is more about big one off ratings for comedy, drama, imports and entertainment rather than sustained mediocrity from cheap factual, I'm not sure hiring BBC1's daytime chief makes a huge amount of sense but we'll see how it plays out.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...-director-sky1

A poster on this thread has been hinting about ITV's drama commissioners leaving. To flesh it out a bit, an article appeared in Broadcast in October claiming Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes were looking to move into production (presumably backed by one of the big indies). ITV denied it and nothing has since happened. The same article claimed Company Pictures were closing in on a big name appointment and that came shortly after when they poached John Yorke from the BBC.

Mark Burnett (creator of The Apprentice) seems to be pushing for that formats replacement with The Job which has been confirmed for a spot on CBS midseason (Fridays at 8pm). Not sure if this has been picked up in the UK? Sounds Channel 4-ish.


Interested to know the nature of the 5 challenges if they're going to pack all that into 42 minutes. Can't see it being the next Apprentice anyway.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/12/cbs-...day-8-pm-slot/

Afetr Clare Baldings huge rise in popularity this year, I now think her show Britains Brightest will get better ratings than Splash when they go head to head on Saturday nights in January.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this end in the standard "crap on both sides" outcome for Saturday nights. So BBC1 maybe about 4.0-4.5m and ITV1 about 3.0-3.5m.

But who knows, they might capture the imagination and do better. On that side I'd give more chance to Splash of being a surprise success. But also more chance of being a total flop. Britain's Brightest just screams of being the kind of show that will plod along at a middling level.

Just read how British version of Splash is working. First three weeks are heats. In each heat are 5 different sets of celebs, two from each heat will get through to the fourth live show which is the semi final. Then the fifth live show will be the finale.

It was a hit in Holland and has potential with the right celebs. But heres a problem: how do you make people diving into the pool exciting 25 different times in a series? With Strictly come dancing and Im a Celeb, the types of dance can be different from tango to salsa to ballroom and types of trials change from eating bugs to physical ones to underwater changes. But with diving its the same thing, a person jumping off a board, albeit at maybe different heights. How can it be made different from person to person to keep interest up for five weeks?

I know you're desperate for it to be a flop Sam but better to save the critique for after it actually airs.

Quite easily - no two dives will ever be the same, especially where amatuers are concerned. Remember too in each 90 minute show probably less than 2 minutes of it will be actual live diving - the rest will be padding a plenty, so it's making that entertaining and raising the anticipation which is key.


P.S. The Radio Times and Daily Mirror have picked upon C4's stupid scheduling of The Snowman (and other shows) and how it'll hit ratings:
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-...t-with-viewers