That's coming back. I thought that did crap first time.

It did rate crap. Good news for BBC1 because a turkey like Britannia will aid BBC1's early evening ratings. Expecting total ratings domination from Pointless and That Puppet Game Show, which will set up the rest of their evening well.

Fool Britannia will know doubt be on a 6.30pm with the following programme something like Suprise Suprise to lead into The X Factor. ITV would be fools to put this on before as a lead in.

Wasn't surprise surprise on a Sunday though?

Yes, but i meant something similar which rated well. Celeb Chase will be on Sunday. Anyway i believe Harry Potter will lead into the first X Factor. Should knock some of the BBCs new shows

Surprise, Surprise will be back in the autumn.

It's been mentioned that the Harry Potter film (Goblet of Fire I think) is on the 24th, so that'll be used as X Factor's lead-in.

Fool Britannia will be stuck in the 6/6:30pm slot as that's where it should be.

May I remind you, X Factor's ratings are really unpredictable. It could rise, or fall this year, we don't really know - particularly as there have been many changes.

Only if people don't mind seeing the same film how many times now. Am joking the BBC are just as bad with film repeats. But you make a good point something like SS which rated well could make a good lead in.

Should The Voice move to mid Feb, Takeaway will keep The Voice in check as it did earlier this year, by delivering top ratings, while BGT gets a free run in the Spring/early Summer against weak BBC opposition. .

Goblet of Fire's first showing in 2008 on a Sunday evening pulled in 7.23m (28.5%) after X Factor (which had been shafted to 6:10pm).

Previous discussion on here seems to suggest that XFactor will be shown earlier this series at around 7pm instead of 8pm to make room for the dance show. If this is the case, then 6.30pm Fool Britannia is going to end up being XFactor's lead in.

No i think it will be the premiere of the Deathly Hallows prt 1.

In fairness even though SNT beat the Voice the Voices ratings didn't drop in fact they rose against it, granted not by much but still

The reason why The Voice hasn't done as well as some people were hoping, is quite simply, it's been overshadowed by BGT. Having two talent shows on at virtually the same time of year isn't going to help either show. Strictly & X Factor are different as one isn't exactly a talent show (we're talking about Strictly here).

I actually haven't seen that or part two yet bugger

Deathly Hallows will probably premiere in October time.

They would not do that, surely? If The X Factor is at 7pm (i don't think it will be however, more like 7.30pm, I imagine Foll Britannia will be at either 5.30pm or 6.00pm.

ITV aren't exactly largely reliant on the dance show to boost their all-day share are they? If they weren't, then they wouldn't mind having X Factor start at around 8pm (if it is actually starting after 8).

Fool Britannia is effectively filler. That'll start a bit earlier before X Factor, and X Factor will hopefully have a better lead-in than You've Been Framed. They really could have left off All Star Family Fortunes.

X Factor won't rate well again this year. I'm still a big fan however the manipulation really is beginning to take its toll and I for one am fed up of it.

It's good youre finally seeing sense. Theres been manipulation on the show for years but it's become much more apparent in the last 2-3 years and as a result 4million viewers have switched off since 2010. It's lost its way, and with Sharon Osbourne coming back which has reportedly caused a more negative vibe and lots of swearing [which now needs to be bleeped out and producers are afraid what she'll say during the live shows], I cant see how it'll be able to turn itself around in terms of attracting mass family audiences. As Adam Crozier said at last weeks Itv half-year results, all shows apart from Coro St eventually come to the end of their shelf-life, and that includes The XFactor.

I did mention that X Factor's ratings are unpredictable. It's far too early to predict how it's going to rate. I'm not saying that it will reach the heights of 2008-11, but it should be rather level on last year at the very least.

That's exactly it. Cosmetic changes are no good. The bad cannot be undone from previous series and unfortunately disillusioned former viewers like me are unlikely to forgive and forget just because there's a new panel. And no doubt it will still be as manipulative as ever despite the changes at the surface.

I liked X Factor in the beginning but it lost its way in a serious way. There are only so many times you can treat the viewers like fools before the whole thing stops being fun. In many ways its abnormally high ratings was the beginning of the end, not only because there's only one way you can possibly go from there, but also because, instead of giving people more of what they wanted, it became more a case of "what can we do that we haven't done before? How can we keep people interested? How can we shock and generate as many headlines as possible?" These were the wrong questions to ask for long term enduring popularity.

Don't get me wrong, it will run for a few more years yet to increasingly diminished audiences. But if I was an ITVista I'd be keen for ITV to step up the search for its eventual replacement so they are covered when that day comes, as it will in time.

But what? I really think most things have been done. And whatever they do the BBC brigade will no doubt try and link it to a BBC show as some sort of rip off.

I am sure the changes will make a re-juvinated X Factor, at least in stabilizing it.

I'm not saying it for you're benefit.

I say that as an viewer of X Factor and voter of two contestants I voted for in 2010 and 2012. The manipulation for one was slim but sadly worked and the other got to the final, but the manipulation went right over the top.

Agree with all of that.

All the shocks, controversy, bad contestants have been done before, there aren't any new twists that i can think of that can bring viewers back.

It will still do well but can't ever see it getting back to 2009/2010 heights.

The programme details on the BBC website for Celebrity Mastermind give no series number or episode number, which in hindsight was a bit of a giveaway that it was a mere placeholder.


Many thanks for providing what you could. I've now temporarily got access back after a long break. How long did yours last, by the way?


Last repeated on ITV(1) as long ago as Saturday 6 August 2011 at 18:15, when it got 5.87m (30.3%) including +1.