Comme toujours, je vous remercie...

K

At its height in 1978, when Larry Grayson took over as host, The Generation Game was attracting 19 million viewers. Actually Game for a Laugh was the show that killed it in 1981 as people were tiring of TGG by then, and a powerful alternative on ITV saw viewers switch over in millions. GFAL's first four series attracted up to 18 million viewers, but a switch to Sundays and changes to the panel saw ratings fall and it was axed in 1985.

Saturday 2nd March 2013
BBC One
06:00 - Breakfast: 1.47m (30.8%)
10:00 - Saturday Kitchen: 1.92m (25.6%)
11:30 - Nigel Slater's Simple Cooking (r): 1.55m (21.4%)
12:00 - BBC News: 1.51m (21.0%)
12:05 - BBC Regional News: 1.59m (21.6%)
12:15 - Football Focus: 1.32m (17.1%)
13:00 - FILM: The Shaggy Dog (2006): 819k (9.9%)
14:30 - LIVE Athletics - European Indoor Championships: 965k (10.0%)
16:30 - Final Score: 2.03m (15.6%)
17:20 - Animal Antics: 1.72m (11.4%)
17:50 - BBC News: 3.28m (19.3%)
18:05 - BBC Regional News: 4.17m (23.4%)
18:10 - Pointless: 4.68m (24.1%)
19:00 - Let's Dance for Comic Relief: 4.49m (20.0%)
20:25 - The National Lottery: In It to Win It: 5.21m (23.2%)
21:15 - Casualty: 4.83m (22.2%)
22:05 - BBC News: 4.20m (21.2%)
22:25 - Match of the Day: 3.68m (25.7%)
23:55 - The Football League Show: 864k (14.1%)
25:18 - Weatherview: 361.5k (9.6%)
25:21 - BBC News (to 26:00): 234k (7.7%)

It's been doing that job for years. Not just this year.

They have nothing else to put on so I see no harm in the Scotland match going on BBC One. It will get 4m I reckon and will do no better or worse than anything they could fill the slot with.

I and many neutrals will be tuning in for that. Is it somehow against the law for the BBC one to show 1 six nations match in prime time. I think it fits in the slot well and will fill it for a week instead of some repeat.

Ken

If Scotland beat Wales and England beat Italy next week then France v Scotland could be the decider, depending whether England defeat Wales in Cardiff on the final day. If Scotland are victorious against the French they could win the Six Nations. The problem is the BBC won't know the penultimate scores before they have to declare their schedule; unless they do an either/or like the broadcasters do for the World Cup.

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Regarding The Voice scheduling, I think the BBC could ensure they have the upper hand across the spring. With Britain's Got Talent not airing for a couple of weeks, BBC One could ensure that The Voice airs across the 8pm slot forcing ITV to either clash (which would produce negative headlines for the commercial channel) or air Britain's Got Talent early. I suppose in turn, ITV could claim BBC One are scheduling aggressively as Britain's Got Talent has alway aired in the 8pm hour since the switch to weekly shows on Saturday night. Also, The Voice may be hurt more by a clash than Britain's Got Talent but I think it would be worth a go to avoid Takeaway.

18.05 Pointless Celebrities
19.05 Doctor Who
19.55 The Voice UK
21.10 Casualty
22.00 National Lottery Draws
22.10 BBC News and Weather
22.30 Match of the Day

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Talking of Takeaway, I thought yesterday was a very good show though admittedly not quite to the standard of the launch episode. It had enough about it to hold up across it's run in my opinion, though. The Cube and Jonathan Ross both benefited by the strong start to the evening...I'm not sure how Jonathan Ross did so well - I didn't realise this country loved Jack Whitehall, Carol Vorderman, a Russian Bond girl and Bruno Mars. BBC One had a steady evening; In It To Win It is a great performer for the broadcaster.

I don't either. I can take LD or leave it, but it's by far the worst Saturday show ever (ironic that it's slagged mostly by ITVistas who were glad-handing each other over Splash, which WAS the worst Saturday entertainment show in years), and as I said 2 weeks ago, it's reasonably entertaining and has a good "feel" about it. Steve Jones seems perfectly acceptable as anchor. But where LD dies is the fact the dance routines aren't iconic and nobody knows what they are parodying (contrast with the first run when it was Thriller, or Bohemian Rhapsody or something), and the dead 20 minutes of filler whilst votes are cast - listening to z-lebs in the "pub" murdering karaoke is not acceptable prime time far whether it's in a studio set pub or a real one. How we slagged off C5 for showing Saturday night karaoke when it launched.




You might be right. Now I think about, ITV aired a speedy repeat in the summer to 8.5m viewers and then BBC1 aired it again at Christmas, but that third showing in 10 months didn't do very well at all.

I think the Nine O'Clock News aired at 9.50pm that night actually (and I'm sure pulled a bumper figure) because the film was 1h46m or so, and of course it filled at 2 hour slot when shown on ITV with ad breaks.

I do remember watching the end of the ITV repeat to see if they kept the "(C) BBC MCMXCII" credit and BBC logo at the end of the credits, which would be quite a landmark as it must have been the first and only time the rival broadcasters had aired the other's programme. Not like now with BBC/ITN/Sky credits on the Queen's speech each year and all this An ITV Studios Production on BBC1 programmes etc.

What a saddo I was in my teens...

And of course, they did keep it.



Well, of course folk do go away at Christmas, visit family and so on. But the summer months bank holidays surely see more people having a weekend away or just getting out for the day, having a meal on the way back, getting in late etc - maxmising their time off. Whereas at Christmas, TV watching is as much tradition as turkey and tinsel.

Before They Were Famous did indeed pull a staggering audience but it was on Easter Monday evening, and a "back to work tomorrow" treat.

Ditto when the BBC1 premiere of The Naked Gun pulled a eye-raising and totally unexpected 14.5m one Easter Monday in an 8.30 slot.


I thought it was alright - a reasonably amusing comedy drama with likeable lead and a good cast. It felt a bit of a more straight-faced lesbian Miranda without the "trad sitcom-mery" of that show.

That O'Sullivan, TV's worst critic and an absolute cretin, didn't like it confirms my view that it will be a success, relatively speaking.

Separately, I notice Cuckoo gets a late night BBC1 repeat after Matt Lucas. Good to see them trying to deliver it to a wider mainstream audience.

And on Friday, we go back to 1994 and a re-run of The Vicar of Dibley in Rm 101's slot opposite Corrie. Wonder how well that will do (and what it will look like - surely it won't be squashed into a mid-screen square like Dad's Army repeats are on BBC2?), and whether they are testing the waters for a new episode after the repeats at Christmas?

Personally I think I'd have kept it on One too, but it is a bit of a dead rubber fixture, save perhaps for the wooden spoon.

Presumably BBC1 Scotland will air it even if rest of UK BBC1 doesn't?

What it could mean is that BBC could air Pointless Celebs to perhaps 4m whilst the rugby attracts up to 3m die hards on BBC2 - which might together keep SNT in check more than the rugby on BBC1 alone getting 3.5m-4m and filler on BBC2 getting 1m or less.

Only if you are French!


There simply is no way to predict the importance of the game until the Matchday 4 games are completed next weekend.

I'd stuff thinking about SNT. It's not a big worry in my opinion. BBC One need's to think about themselves and the Rugby on one would be a good move in my opinion.

It's the last game so I wouldn't call it a dead rubber. It's not the biggest game but I would say it's bigger than the small FA cup tie ITV had a few weeks ago and that didn't do to badly.

Ken

As a side-note, it will be the first BBC One screening of that premiere episode of TVOD in over 4 years.

Just a quick note - Britain's Brightest Officials;

5th Jan 4.97m
12th Jan 4.21m
19th Jan 4.74m
26th Jan 3.87m
2nd Feb 4.40m
9th Feb 5.33m

Average: 4.59m

Whilst it was universally criticised on here, it did pretty well over the 6 weeks.

Is there any ratings for Storyville:I will be Murdered?

See my post at 14:36.

I know. Hence my restorative suggestions!

I think it's perfect for the slot Pointless celebrities is in. Shorten it to 50-60min and it's okay for a return.

Ken

That bit's only two minutes long, though, isn't it? And they have to do something to fill the time between the dances and the result if they're going to do it on one programme and I think they do it pretty well - two bands (and big ones too) and some Comic Relief films (which is the point of the programme) take up most of the slack. The other alternative is to do the results in a separate show which hardly seems any better than what they do now.

I do agree that they're going they're running out of dances, and dancers - hence Lee Nelson for the second time, despite him being rubbish and nobody liking him - but that's the benefit of only doing four shows a year. And I think what saves Let's Dance is that none of it's taken seriously at all, all the films are full of jokes and the judges just mess around and it's just a bit of harmless fun. If it was a proper competition it would be awful but it's not.

I'll point out again, though, that the final is a complete anti-climax because they all just do the same dances again and don't even put any new jokes in them.


I knew that, of course, but I thought it was too boring to mention. Sorry. As the Radio Times points out, following that was Question Time with the first ever all-female panel. I think the other BBC repeat was in the afternoon over Christmas.


Hmm, maybe, but I still think Easter Sunday is a prestigious slot, the Radio Times for that week would always be really thick and there'd be at least one big show. That said, I have the Radio Times from Easter 1982 when the main attraction on BBC1 on Easter Sunday evening is a TV movie called A Whale For The Killing, and someone writes in a few weeks later to ask if a film about whale killing is the most appropriate thing they could find for Easter Sunday.


Yeah, I think they said Cuckoo was going to get a BBC1 repeat fairly soon after it was on BBC3. Reminds me of when they used to have BBC3 On BBC1 in its early days and show the likes of Swiss Toni there. I also note Ally Ross in The Sun today pondering, as I am, why they're showing The Matt Lucas Awards just after Room 101 has finished when it's basically the same format.

I am not surprised that O'Sullivan slags off Heading Out, not least because, coming from the Kelvin McKenzie school of eighties tabloid excesses, a sitcom about a lesbian is unlikely to appeal to him. Like Robbie, I thought it was likeable enough, there were some amusing moments in it and I'll stick with it. I don't agree with those who say you can't judge a sitcom on its first episode but you should give it more than the first joke.


Pretty sure they repeated the first episode on BBC1 not too long ago, actually, because I remember my mum telling me she'd watched it in lieu of anything else. Think it's just a standard BBC1 all-purpose repeat like Only Fools, filling an awkward gap before Red Nose Day.

EDIT: Presumably it was that 2009 repeat my mum watched. Doesn't time fly?

Fair point, for once, George. I had forgotten that the perennial Scottish losers have actually won 2 games and technically still in contention for the title.

Hm. If Scotland could still win it, then it would have to be on BBC1 clearly.

Though if they do bill it on BBC2 and then switch it to 1, you will still be grousing, like in July when the tennis is on....

(but not when the Tour de France final day winner's procession was put on ITV1 of course)

Can't they schedule like they do with the World Cup? "If the Six Nations match is a title decider, the schedule will be:...' and 'If the Six Nations match is not a title decider the schedule will be:..."? That seems to be the most obvious solution to their problem.

Then again, what would BBC One air in it's place? Presumably Pointless Celebrities and a Total Wipeout repeat or something of that ilk.

I suppose ala Andy Murray, it will be a British win or a Scottish defeat.

So much for the BBC bringing the nation* together



If BBC1 can afford to burn off the rights on BBC2, then they still have too much money.

Well, it didn't hit a million like some people were hoping but it's still respectable.

BBC One shouldn't just be about ratings you know. It will do well i reckon 4m. Lets dace basically got that yesterday. It's not going to help SNT at all.

The FA cup didn't help Let's dance in the following weeks. If people who haven't been watching tune in the chances are they won't stick around when say the voice comes on.

On the subject of the voice I would go.

5:40- A Question of sport(r)
6:10- Pointless Celebrities
7:00-Doctor Who
7:45-The Voice
9:00-Lottery
9:10- Casualty

That would be okay I reckon. Doctor Who would probably loose out to SNT (not by much) in the overnights but timeshift back to beat it in the officials.

At worst DW would be giving The Voice a over 5m lead in. Starting the voice before SNT I think is a good idea because I don't think SNT is that strong.

It's facing very poor competition at the moment. I think the voice and doctor who can overcome it. That would mean no national lottery gameshow which means they will probably start the voice at about 7. which is to early and leaves them to be squeezed earlier when BGT comes along and the voice shows get longer.

The BBC can get an upper had here if they play it right. Don't worry about SNT I say. It's sold but can be beaten when something better comes along. As let's dance proved in 2009.

Ken

Or in ITV Scotland's case, if you are English....

He in glass houses should not throw kettles....

Stv you mean? That's not exactly itv scotland.

Not always, in the reign of Bad King John of Birt, England home games went to Sky with a highlights show on ITV. There was this bizarre set up where Scotland, Wales and Ireland home games were shown on the BBC, and England and France home games were on Sky, with highlights on ITV.
most popular ball game( mind you I'm a league man and Whitehaven got beat today

does anyone know why ant and decs pokerface show never returned after two series years ago was it low ratings or lack of cash to film the show etc??????

i was looking back at some old clips of saturday night shows do many on here remember the all time stinkers the bbc and itv put out in years gone by????? could you add to the list????

red alert (bbc)( lotto show with lulu) was sooooooo bad
caught in the act (poor version of ybf with shane richie)
the joy of text (bbc) (v v v dodgy n bad)
ice worriors (itv) (dodgy gladiators on ice)
raise the roof (itv) (bore of a quiz show)


todays efforts from takeaway and lets dance arnt to everyones taste but surly better than years ago?????