Great night for BBC One. I'm guessing ITV1 was below 4 million.

First of all, how did you get access again?

Secondly, nice to see mostly everything in primetime over 5m.

Why not? The contestants pay the licence.

Do we have the breakdown for the rugby in Wales and Scotland please ?

ITV (exc / inc +1)
15:25 - FILM: The Secret of My Succe$s (1987): 684k (4.5%) / 793k (5.3%)
17:30 - Regional News: 2.18m (11.7%) / 2.27m (12.2%)
17:45 - ITV News: 3.10m (16.2%) / 3.22m (16.8%)
18:00 - FILM PREMIERE: Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang (2010): 4.06m (18.6%) / 4.69m (21.4%)
* peak: 4.70m (20.4%) / 5.53m (24.0%) at 19:50
20:05 - Take Me Out: 3.56m (15.7%) / 3.94m (17.3%)
21:20 - The Jonathan Ross Show: 2.42m (11.1%) / 2.73m (12.6%)
22:20 - ITV News: 1.95m (10.2%) / 2.10m (11.0%)
22:35 - FILM: Knocked Up (2007): 933k (8.35%) / 1.08m (9.7%)
24:50 - Jackpot247 (to 26:00): 96k (2.6%) exc +1

The Nanny McPhee film was practically the stand-out broadcast then.

I expect Samuel to rant over this.

Take Me Out, rather low but still good. Nearer to 4m with +1 included.

But, ITV need Saturday Night Takeaway to prop up their Saturday nights.

And some viewewrs will watch because of the prize money. Such tacky games shows with prize money have been a TV staple for many years, it takes a show with a presenter with a unique style (such as Wogan on Blankety Blank), or a more cerebral quiz programme such as University Challenge or Mastermind not to have any cash prizes.

And ftv might be forgetting that the BBC makes programmes for all, not just programmes that appeal to ftv.

And If the £50,000 is so much of a drain, I'm sure that ftv will appreciate a refund of that amount, pro-rata of course, on the LF - which is about 0.2 pence.

My mind is put at ease Andy with your reassurance that every contestant is checked to make sure he/she pays the TV licence, I trust they bring them to the studio to prove it.

14:00 - Six Nations (Scot/Ita): 3.51m (27.2%)

Breakdown:


---------------------------------------------------------------------
16:30 - Six Nations (Fra/Wal): 4.71m (24.9%)

Breakdown:

Sorry, being ambiguous, I meant the audiences within Scotland and Wales for the matches

Great night for BBC1. Looks like Splash has been denting Britain's Brightest and In It To Win It looking at their numbers last night. Mixed night for ITV. At 4.7m the Nanny McPhee premiere did pretty well (with a massive +1 audience suggesting it could have done even better a little later). Take Me Out looks rather low however and I don't think it's been that low in Q1 for a while. It'll still skew really young though. Pretty pathetic for Jonathan Ross (with a shit guest list) although I'd expect a sizeable boost for him next week as he's got Ant & Dec on.

That would cost even more. "Damn you BBC for spending my licence fee checking that we have paid our licence fee!!"

Last night was the best overnight for Casualty in more than a year: it was last higher on 21 January 2012 with 5.67m (24.0%). The share is the highest since 14 January 2012 (6.07m/25.6%).


I emailed them midday yesterday and got a reply about 8pm saying I had access. It could have been automated so it may be cancelled like yours on Monday morning when the humans go back to work.

£50,000 given away across a 6 part series as opposed to In It To Win It which gave away £50,000 last night in one programme, so gives away considerably more than Brightest across a series.And even which such a big cash prize, these light entertainment programmes will have a lower budget than drama programmes and sitcoms and natural history documentaries.

Was last night the rating that secured Brightest a second series? I have a horrible feeling it might.

Not a bad night for ITV for any means, although the following would have arguably been better:

17:55 - You've Been Framed!
18:40 - FILM: McPhee
20:45 - Take Me Out
22:00 - Jonathan Ross

Why?


Or are you now saying that only those who pay the TVL have a right to appear on programmes that provide entertainment for others (and receive a fee for doing so)?

Perhaps then the BBC should stop showing US films & drama, as few who appear in them (for our entertainment) will have paid the TVL

Perhaps only those who have paid into the BBC should get anything out of it. And for sure, no-one who doesn't have a TV Licence should appear as part of a BBC programme.

And that only LF holders can attend any recordings of BBC shows.


A silly concept. And one that would be expensive to administer.

Every programme requires a programme budget, that budget pays for the writers, the musicians, the presenters, the actors, the appearance fees, the sets, the design, the makeup, the production team, the effects people. People watch because of that investment.

Same as house & garden makeovers - there is a cost not dissimilar to the costs listed above, except this time the general public is involved. But viewers still switch on to watch.

The BBC spends money to make a programme that people watch. That's what TV production is all about. And some costs very little, some dramas cost a bomb.


Edit: the costs of Doctor Who:


http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...6&postcount=14

Aha I should have realised, as the Wales one was in France not Wales. Here you go...

14:00 - Six Nations (Scot/Ita)
UK-wide: 3.51m (27.2%) - peak: 4.48m (31.5%) at 16:05
* TVR of 6.1, peaking at 7.8
Scotland: 411.5k (36.0%) - peak: 574k (43.7%) at 16:05
* TVR of 9.0, peaking at 12.5

16:30 - Six Nations (Fra/Wal)
UK-wide: 4.71m (24.9%) - peak: 5.50m (25.0%) at 18:40
* TVR of 8.2, peaking at 9.5
Wales: 763k (60.5%) - peak: 893k (63.2%) at 18:40
* TVR of 27.2 , peaking at 31.8

Those Welsh sure love their rugby!

Really? On a miserable night in February?


I still feel that Casualty is underperforming considering that last night's episode was heavily trailed and on against ratings flop Jonathan Ross. Plus BBC2's Howard Goddall's Story Of Music probably had less than 1m viewers cos it did last week. However, for BBC1, overnights are increasingly irrelevant and Casualty will probably rate about 6.3m in the consolidateds and that's a good figure these days.

When I seen BBC One's ratings, I was expecting ITV to be a fair bit lower, when the ratings are solid. Not fantastic, but solid. Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang would have done better half an hour later even.

Having said that, it was only last Autumn I think when Casualty was struggling with between 4-4.5 million. So it has improved over recent months.

Would moving Take Me Out a bit later actually help though?

That may be the case next week.

When Saturday Night Takeaway returns on the 23rd, how long would it run for?

Are there any ratings for Spiral on BBC4? Thanks

Many thanks - astonishing figure for viewing in Wales (and not bad for Scotland either)

I don't think I buy this notion that Call the Midwife means they can't possibly have any success on Sunday night. There's no reason why ITV should simply throw up their hands and decide that a decaying Dancing on Ice is the best they can do Q1 Sunday.


I suppose the obvious problem with the musical format from ITV's perspective is that they've now been burnt on it twice. First time with the Cowell produced Grease is the Word and then last summer with Superstar. It may just be that their audience isn't interested in that kind of show or perhaps that the audience that is interested in those shows won't find it on ITV. Its a difficult situation.


Surprisingly strong showing for Nanny McPhee. Can't say I was holding out much hope for it.

Well I could have said "what else could get 4m", but that's a bit harsh on DoI.

The only way they could fill the slot is move The X Factor and lure Simon Cowell back, either running the series Nov-March, with live shows beginning in January, or the whole thing from January, probably ending late April/early May to avoid all the FA Cup/Champions League clashes. Although that would almost certainly rate better than Dancing on Ice, all it does is open up potential problems elsewhere in the year. However these potential problems could and should be seen as opportunities for ITV to find the next big hit.


If Dancing on Ice were to be axed now I'd be tempted to go with the following for Saturdays at least:

Sept-Oct: Saturday Night Takeaway / Take Me Out or Splash (I think the diving season is done by then)
Nov-Dec: X Factor auditions / I'm a Celeb / other filler
Jan-Mar: X Factor Live Shows
(then a few weeks of filler separating X Factor and BGT)
Apr-May: BGT / Take Me Out
June-Aug: Usual summer filler

Cowell would be back on X Factor but probably be lost from BGT, though I think X Factor needs him more than BGT.

Sunday is much trickier as there really is only X Factor results and the occassional XF/BGT audition show which would anchor the night, so I do think moving the Thu 8pm and Fri 8.30pm edition of Emmerdale and Corrie back to ensure a consistent big hitter throughout the year would be wise. Thu 8.30pm shows can move to the slot on Friday, then ITV have to find something for Thu 8pm, which may or may not be easier to fill across the year than Sun 7pm.