I'm quite pleased to see Lets Dance do well. Personally, it's not for me. They clearly put a lot of effort into the production (maybe a bit much at points!) but the actual dancing just bores me in most cases and the judges seem pretty redundant. But at least it's a big UK created and produced entertainment show.

That being said, I hope Takeaway beats it next week. Even though it's actually an old format, it's something different for Saturdays at the moment. It's not a talent show, it's not celeb based, there are no judges. And Ant & Dec remain the only seriously good light ent presenters we have (although perhaps because others aren't really getting opportunities to develop).

Ideally, they'll both do well and Takeaway would get 7m and Lets Dance would get 6.5m. But I suspect both will be a good bit lower.


They spent a lot more early this year than last - Splash! instead of The Talent Show Story. They're just in a gap at the moment because they've got a certain number of episodes of Takeaway then BGT and those dates are pretty much locked in. Next year Splash! will get an extended commission to take it through to Takeaway.

BGT/XF put in so much more than they take out as well. Without them ITV's entertainment budget (for non Cowell shows) would be far lower. In addition to Splash! they briefed for a bigger piece in the spring summer (presumably post BGT). I think the strategy is to spend less and less on the fringes and plough money into the big centre piece shows.


I think she'll be back and it wouldn't be a bad thing. Yes, she had got tired by series 4. But it's worth remembering that the show did launch with 4.9m and by the time she left at the end of 2007 the ratings were up to 11.7m.

At this point if they can get the kind of ratings they had when she left they'd be very pleased. She's tried and tested and she knows the game plus she's . Most importantly, she's not a hot young female popstar. Because whether it's Tulisa or Rita Ora or whoever, they're just going to be compared to Cheryl Cole. That's just a dead end now, IMO. Unless they can actually get Cheryl herself. Same goes for Cowell. They don't need someone who's just going to end up being too similar but inferior (Barlow).

IIRC the last series of Takeaway was celeb heavy; going by the trailer it appears as though they're going back to basics - I just hope that is the case.


Plus she's a cert to work well with Louis who's been a spare part since Simon left. I can see her getting on with Nicole as well so the panel should be more upbeat than the last three series (I think the series 7 panel was getting tired by the end to be honest - Simon and Cheryl believed their own hype). Simon's seat is the big issue, to be honest; Gary never effectively replaced him. Melanie Brown could work considering how she plays the 'bad judge' in the Australian version - they'd just have to accept the 3-1 gender imbalance in the panel.

How is this.....


......a varied schedule?

Plus every weeknight between 7pm and 9pm all C5 offers is cheap factual.

There is considerably more variety in Channel 4's schedule than there is in Channel 5's. (Note to Dancc before you go off on one. This is not a comment of quality of product. I'm merely disputed Glenn A's claim that C5 has a more varied schedule than C4)

Both shows are scheduled to start at 7 pm next Saturday but Let's Dance will have a lead-in from the rugby.

There's wooden actors in every soap. Why is it just Hollyoaks that gets it in the neck for this?

Daybreak and Sky News Sunrise has an open goal today - a strike by the National Union of Journalists means no BBC Breakfast, just shortened news bulletins with daytime TV fodder instead..
Daybreak's 1st hour has Matt Barbet and Helen Fospero, the pair they should have gone with in the first place.
John Stapleton and Kate Garraway then do the main show for half-term week.

yes I know I said, Daybreaks half term ratings are not important, but todays ratings could be interesting.

deleted

tricky, and im not sure I agree.

BBC 1 viewers have (rightly) come to expect something that BBC 1 was not giving them, to get this they have only so many options, Daybreak and Sky News.

Daybreak may surprise.

edit I did quote something, but it got quoted a moment too late.

Sorry about that.

As you can see I back tracked because I changed my mind!

It is a tricky one. Maybe daybreak will break 1m???

Ken

if it wasn't half term maybe, the problem for Daybreak is that its half term, when ratings are normally low, so any boost it gets this morning may not seem like that much, compared to none half term ratings.

So basically if it's in line with normal ratings today it received a good boost. And to think ITV had a breakfast lead in the 90's! Although the BBC Breakfast News as it was known back then was poor in my opinion. GMTV used to be a good watch.

Didn't the BBC have something called Business Breakfast? My mind is failing me.

Ken

yes that is about right, the problem for Daybreak is that with people out of routine, they wont pick up many in the long run.

Those who might be most tempted to switch, based on watching today, are out of routine half term mums, who normally watch Breakfast. The fact Breakfast isnt on today may mean little to them.

BBC One
Blandings - 3,932,350 (17.1%)
Countryfile - 6,713,467 (27.4%)
Call The Midwife - 8,616,417 (30.4%)
Ripper Street - 4,716,458 (18.9%)

BBC Two
Top Gear - 3,628,442 (12.8%)
The Wonders of Life - 2,207,345 (8.9%)

ITV
FA Cup - 2,472,216 (16.1%)
Dancing on Ice - 6,541,800 (27.7%)
Family Fortunes - 4,974,675 (18.3%)
Dancing on Ice - 5,092,500 (17.6%)
Mr Selfridge - 5,728,467 (22.9%)

Channel 4
The Hotel - 1,618,955 (5.7%)
Complicit - 790,168 (3.8%)

Channel 5
Ghostbusters - 820,917 (3.1%)
Person of Interest - 1,068,833 (4.3%)
Snatch - 766,200 (6.0%)


Figures include HD (except BBC Two), exc. +1

Top gear's rating doesn't look like it has HD to me.

Ken

Ripper Street looks low. That week off seems to have dented it.

Top Gear may have added almost a million on HD but that's still rather low, I don't think the show has dipped to 3m in a long time - I think CTM is a factor.

ITV, meanwhile, had a good night. DOI is around where I'd expect it to be, as with FF and Mr Selfridge.

But aside from that, some good ratings for BBC1 there, CTM doing great as always.

I also think it kinda got a bit boring. I watched the first few episodes but then the episode that focused on the Jerome Flynn character was really rubbish (IMO) and so i switched off.. i did try to watch a bit of the episode after it on catchup but i just thought... nope, bored now. Switched off.

It appears some others may have done the same? The change in pace of the episode focused on Flynns character really did seem strange. Others on the "Ripper Street" thread also commented on it. (Although some loved it)

HD is accounting for a large chunk of it's audience now.

Ken

Mr Selfridge (inc +1, HD)- 6.1m

DOI beaten by Countryfile which was actually a collection of repeated items. And more than 1 million people who watch DOI part 1 don't bother to turn on the results show.

Prisoners Wives reminds me of Accused. Critically acclaimed with moderately successful ratings so they bring it back for a shorter second series. They probably won't give it a third series as the ratings won't be that high. But by giving it a second they add another returning drama to there slate which they can brag about a little. For Accused they didn't even bother to announce if it had been cancelled which is extremely frustrating for fans of the show.

Last night was one of its best episodes.

Therefore you should always include HD for BBC Two - especially Top Gear. In the officials it's pulling in over a million on HD.

Isn't that always the case with these shows which have both the performances and results on the same night? X Factor in the past, BGT (ever since they foolishly split the performances and results, dragging the performances out even more). Though Call the Midwife and Top Gear quite frankly took away some of the audience.