If the idea of having a new presenter doesn't rejuvenate the show's ratings, I think some drastic action would need to be taken - either axe it or give it maximum promotion.

Put it back on BBC1 where it belongs.

Or just give up on an ailing show that isn't 'cool' anymore. It's not the 70s

Would that work though? Clearly, BBC1 are done with CBBC & CBeebies shows, surely?

Everything that will happen with the x factor this yr depends heavily on the judging panel (sharon) and the talent. All the 'format changes' and tweaks isn't going to mean anything if the panel seems dated and hasn't improved from last yr (looking at gary) and theres no real wow/stand out act.

Move it to Sunday?

The main show and the results on the same night? Don't think it'll work very well.

They could move it to Friday but it would need MASSIVE promotion that week to let people know it is on a different day if that's what they go with.

At the very least, they can move it earlier so that it faces Strictly rather than Doctor Who.

I think they'd rather face DW than Strictly, regardless of the 50th

BBC have two dedicated channels for children, there is no need for kid's shows to be struggling on the main channel. CBBC & Cbeebies have each had shows rating 500k+ in July 2013.

Blue Peter is noticeable by its absence in a typical barb top 10. Maybe the magazine style programme no longer holds the attention of kids, Newsround Bulletin does seem to rate much better.

They will change the title to, "One Dog and no owner" it will be storylines about everyday country animals.

Blue Peter by it's nature is not a show people make an appointment to see.

Even little people.. (children)


If Blue Peter were on at 5:30pm BBC1 daily then it would be getting far more children watching, simply because it was "there"

And no doubts some adults would watch, which I think is a good thing.

Public service should include exposing people to programmes they wouldn't otherwise have much interest in.

If you go to http://www.overnights.tv/public/ProgrammeSearch.aspx
(free for everyone, no registration required)
and search for, say, Emmerdale, you get:

19:00-19:30
20:00-20:30

Shows before 5pm are supposed to have their start and end times noted to the nearest 5 mins; shows after 5pm, to the nearest 1 min. The latter, at least, has clearly not been done, unless by some miracle everything on 3, 4 and 5 last night started and ended at the precise billed times, to the nearest minute.

In fact it seems certain that no tape-checking at all has been done on channels 3-5, just going by the reported slots. The timings for Neighbours and Home and Away, for example, are shown as 17:30-18:00 and 18:00-18:30, and normally they are both always shown on Overnights.tv as finishing 5 mins 'early', when tape-checked. You can see this by looking at episodes earlier this month which were tape-checked.

Thanks for that Neil. So no tape-checking since last Thursday.

Just checked EastEnders, and it looks like that is being checked to the nearest minute.

They also have a news channel but it doesnt stop BBC1 running news bulletins. If BBC1 is supposed to be something more than commercial tv without the ads, then it should be broadcasting kids shows. It broadcasts shows for old people, so why not kids?

Neil, do you know the +1 BB rating if you have it? Also, it finished 4 mins before, so do you have a tape-checked rating?

No worries. It's complicated by the fact that ratings for last Thursday and earlier have had the precise to-the-second timings logged because of the 7-day BARB consolidation process (using timings supplied by broadcasters) so we can't be quite sure (from this data alone) when tape-checking by Attentional ceased. To do that we'd need access to the ratings database itself, to check the corrected overnights (which are still at 5-minute resolution) against the reported overnights.

As far as I can see BBC One and Two have been tape-checked properly throughout

I don't have access (yet). I'm clawing at the gates of the ratings castle, dying to get at the treasures within (and yes, I do need to get out more).

In that case they may as well show pre-school programmes on BBC1 rather than BBC Breakfast, which could be shown on BBC News. Though I do agree that BBC2 could be used to simulcast children's shows after school hours (3.30pm-6.00pm). It is all about supply and demand though, BBC1 ought show the more popular programmes where possible. BBC Three & Four are niche channels as are CBBC & Cbeebies.

Perhaps you are right perhaps you are not.

Do people think the opening ceremony repeat will do very well on BBC1?

I thought it already was in a crisis? I've never known a show be in more ratings crises than ee. Maybe that should rename it eastenders in crisis and be done with.

It's all so boring. The show bounces back. It does. There's a million reasons for the low ratings and not all of them to do with quality. It's just the way it is with modern tv viewing.

Good night for C5. This pleases me almost as much as it displeases others.

The tapechecking situation is an odd one to say the least. It is making the ratings for some shows appear lower than they actually are, especially on the commercial channels. Hopefully resolved sooner rather than later.

I don't think it could ever be on at 5:30pm because of Pointless, and I don't think it would work as a daily show, more like a weekly show. They could make it a family-orientated version of The One Show, in teatime (airing at 4:30pm possibly).

EE is still and quite often the best rated show daily on BBC One


It is fair to say ratings are down, but are they cancel worthy?? No of course they aren't. Is the show dull at times? Yes that is a fair comment.

Exactly! and those ratings aren't exactly shameful compared to the other soaps either, especially when you start to factor in the omnibus and -i-player which can get nearly 1 million an episode. I always watch it in i-player as I'm never in when it's on.

It's just silly!