I actually saw the first bit of the first Dancing On Ice of this year's series where all the skaters were being introduded, but I don't recall Gareth Thomas being there. I can't have been paying enough attention. I got banished from the room when Torvill and Dean were introduced and I said I thought they'd win.

Banished from the room? Do you have an adverse reaction to ice skating?

Not that bad, looking at the combined number, 34% were 18-49. That's not particularly old - CBS would take it! And of course with such a huge total number, it works out as a very high demo rating.

Nothing medical. I just talk too much.

Me neither.

But I was distracted after Pammie skated into what must be a much warmer skate arena than I was hoping it would be...

Just a random factoid: Call the Midwife and Top Gear had 14.96m (51.1%) between them last night.

The 18-49 demo isn't as big as deal for History as they have cable fees as well as ads, I wonder if we might see more miniseries like the Bible or Hatfields on CBS or other networks Seeimg how they draw huge numbers. Vikings did very well with 6m, I imagine if it holds up, a renewal is all but certain.

Broadchurch was excellent drama, it deserves 6-7m.

And it will be over 17m once the proper ratings come in!

Just watched Mary and Martha, actually thought it was very good, worst possible night of the week to air it though! Sunday I reckon 6, even Wednesday mid 5s

The edition of Countryfile featuring Prince Charles will be shown this Sunday on BBC1 at 7 pm

Prisoners' Wives returns to BBC1 next Thursday.

Yeah, the TV movies were a regular fixture from 1995-97 (although around 1996 the news moved from before it to after it) and they used to be cost-effective schedule fillers but they more or less stopped in 1998 as the Beeb bolted Match of the Day to 10.30 after Des Lynam had complained about its continued lateness.

Airport was indeed at 8.55 on Saturdays in the autum of 1998 - where as you say it preceded The X Files - and 1999, where it was shown alongside the unpopular John Sullivan drama Roger Roger. In 1998 it was opposite London's Burning in a rare foray on Saturdays and thrashed it, so they had to move London's Burning to 9.25, preceded by Police Camera Action repeats, and then after six weeks moved it back to Sundays.

Suburn was in the winter of 1999 and 2000 and it was slightly controversial because it had very much been commissioned to order, with the Beeb coming up with the concept and approaching a writer, and basing most of the decisions on market research, it was a proper attempt to try and create a hit drama by formula. First series did alright, the second seemingly didn't as it was moved to 9.25 halfway through with Only Fools repeats between that and Casualty.

The first episode of Randall and Hopkirk got an enormous audience, well over ten million and it thrashed Brian Conley on ITV who had to humiliatingly move back to nearer ten o'clock, but it dropped hugely over the run. A shame, it was a good series and in many ways a dry run for Doctor Who with Charlie Higson in the RTD/Moffatt showrunner role, a couple of Who writers on the writing team, a big supporting cast every week and, of course, Tom Baker.


Yeah, although stuff like Beadle's Hot Shots and Raise The Roof flopped there. I always thought when they started The Premiership they should have put it at 8pm to be an obvious alternative for Casualty and it wouldn't need very high ratings to be a hit.


Of course there was that period when all the channels would start everything at the same time, so if Casualty ended at 8.55, BBC2, ITV and C4 would all start programmes at 8.55, and if it ended at 9.05, they'd all start at 9.05. No matter how awkward it was.

Only 6.06m for Broadchurch

Below Mayday's launch on Sunday.

Creditable but unspectacular 4.3m for BBC1. But job done in limiting the impact of Broadchurch, which will presumably settle in the usual 5m crime drama range.

Considering the unrivalled levels of hype around this one on the thread, I'm slightly underwhelmed by that. But still a superb audience.

How did Mayday hold up?

6.8m actually. Won the 9pm slot. Wonder what Mayday got.

Is that including +1? Some of us are trying to work out how many points they scored on the RPG here.

@Jake_Kanter: ITV’s David Tennant drama Broadchurch launched with 6.78m (28.14%), forcing Mayday down 2m to 4.3m (17.85%). #tellyratings

Yeah. Looks like there was a massive +1 audience. A very good start for it overall I think.

Mayday lived up to its name and crashed to 4.3m, down nearly 2m on its launch.

Yikes. Terrific start then for Broadchurch. And a big old ouch for Mayday. Very poor retention after a great start the previous night.

Of course that includes the repeat.

It got 6.06m, as I have already posted.

I don't envisage things getting any better for Mayday tonight. It will surely sink below 4m against a football match one of the managers involved described as a game "the whole world will be watching."

You get the feeling the BBC couldn't have picked a worse week to strip a drama like this. That's not the last battering they will have to endure.

Hostage to fortune there if Broadchurch also doesn't secure a big retention next week!

I didn't see any tv last night, but Mayday was always going to lose viewers anyway. Broadchurch rated well and won the slot convincingly.

Unless they know it's rubbish and are burning it off as a spoiler for Broadchurch. Odd that it was supposed to air last autumn.

Somehow I don't think Mayday's job was only to limit the launch of Broadchurch. It was put there to win and failed. Mayday really has arrived early for BBC1 this week.

Also amusing that when Mr Selfridge got 5.5m against Mayday's 6m+ launch you were declaring Mr S to have performed badly, and now Mayday's 4.3m (including a 2m drop in 24 hours) against a fairly similar ITV launch is 'creditable'? Hmmm.