And - just a bit of fun - here's a first stab at BBC1 for the festive period based on what's already been announced, a few guesses, and a few TBA's.

Well, it wouldn't be November without a Christmas schedule full of TBA's...

In which case, I’m sure you will agree that X Factor’s 10.6m on Saturday night, against 6.5m on BBC1 and with 6 million fewer people watching TV and concluding 9 minutes early, was absolutely magnificent?!


Yes, for the next 10 days (until official figures), Strictly can take a win on average audience. Although, with the main shows being longer than the results (working on a 2:1 ratio), I’d calculate a 30,000 difference with X Factor on 10.14m (43%) with Strictly ahead on audience at 10.17m (40%). For the second week in a row, X Factor is the most watched show of the week.

I would put W&G before EE and would scrap that news bulletein you put in. Catching the 5pm, post dinner rush.

Please no Big Finish. Has to be the most depressing way to finish a year, surely?

I was going to type out what I thought but your schedules have saved me the hassle. I'd gone with pretty much exactly the same for Xmas Eve thru Boxing Day.

Though I might put EastEnders on before Strictly like they did last year to try to stop an audience leaving to ITV for a great big 2 hour block of Emmerdale/Corrie from 7pm. Emmerdale and Corrie were split up last year and I think that hurt them a bit helped the BBC keep hold of people. That said, I suppose your schedule gives The Royle Family a better chance of big numbers with the EastEnders lead in.

I'd like something like this for BBC1 Xmas Day:
2.00 TOTP
3.00 HM The Queen
3.10 Film: Madagascar
4.40 Film: Shark Tale
6.10 News
6.20 Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
6.50 EastEnders
7.20 Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
8.20 EastEnders
8.50 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
9.30 The Royle Family: A New Sofa
10.30 Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special
11.00 BBC News
11.50 Film

I think the BBC should replicate the EE sandwich they did last year, which was so succesful. My schedule means that 10 mins would be cut off Strictly, though it could still easily be 1 hour and run till 9.40 of course.

There's always Jools' Hootenanny on BBC TWO. A personal highlight for me each year in terms of must-see TV viewing over the festive period. Last year's was particularly good with some great guests. And then straight onto DS after for the usual "is this live?" posts.

2008 Series Averages (so far)

Strictly Come Dancing 2008: 8.9m
The X Factor 2008: 9.3m

2007 Series Averages (at this time last year)

Strictly Come Dancing 2007: 8.2m
The X Factor 2007: 7.8m


So Strictly Come Dancing is 0.7m up on last year and The X Factor 1.5m up. Strictly had a 0.4m advantage this time last year, now it's flipped round and The X Factor has the 0.4m advantage.

Let's be honest, both shows are doing incredibly well. If Strictly's biggest ratings crime is that, six series in, it has 'only' increased its series average by 700,000 on last year (compared to The X Factor's 1.5m rise), then I don't think that's too bad - especially as it hasn't had any major format shakeups or personnel changes in the same way that The X Factor has (new judges, presenters etc).

Personally I like both shows and just think it's brilliant that so many people are sitting down and enjoying TV programmes together again.

The real winner here is mainstream linear television - recent ratings proving it's not dead yet.

Hmm, maybe not a flop, but certainly for the money and the hype it was a disappointment for the BBC. I'm pretty sure it drew level with ITV despite their schedule being a bit of a shambles - I remember You've Been Framed being extended by five minutes so it finished at the exact time 'stEnders started, and ITV just showed the first five minutes after the adverts twice.

I largely agree with all the schedule predictions though I think, like last year, they might run the new Wallace and Gromit half-hour on Christmas Eve and then the film on Christmas Day, like they did with Shrek last year. They've got enough new stuff for Christmas Day.

Ooh, that wouldn't be at midnight anyway, for the last two years it's been on at 9pm, then around midnight is the ice skating/live bands/fireworks thing that Natasha Kaplinsky used to do and Myleene Klass did last year.

It's not that good, to be honest, but rather something live like that than those dull pre-recorded Jonathan Ross things they used to run around midnight.

Xmas Day:

1.00 Doctor Who at the Proms
2.00 TOTP
3.00 HM The Queen
3.10 Film: Madagascar
4.30 Film: Shark Tale
6.00 News
6.10 EastEnders
6.40 Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
7.10 Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
8:00 Eastenders
8:30 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
9.20 The Royle Family: A New Sofa
10.20 News
10.30 Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special
11.30 Film: TBA

SCD isn't a flop, tired or boring in my opinion, it may not be doing as well as it has done previously against the X Factor, but I don't see how a show getting a peak of 11.74m last Saturday being a flop or a disappointment for BBC1..both shows are doing great business for both networks!

Also, its X Factor that is performing better- IIRC Strictly Come Dancing is performing roughly in line with last year. By no means is it a flop.

Ratings from Brand Republic:

http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/86...eleb-fly-high/

I think it's safe to say this won't be getting renewed:




Hollyoaks Later got off a strong start - 840,000 including +1 - matching the audience of E4's normal episode at 7pm and 8pm (timeshift) respectively.

I think Unbreakable has been a disaster, I think the premise itself is strong but it seems a bit like the BBC Three show Last Man Standing.

I think even BBC Three would turn their noses up at a rating of 0.5m for one of their high profile shows!

While Unbreakabale turned out to be a flop, The Gadget Show is chugging along nicely with 1.4m and I imagine that it makes Five a fair bit of money with the phone in competition. I expect the 60s documentary that replaces Unbreakable next week will do a lot better.

HUGE figures for Top Gear UK in Aus last night - see next post.

Australian Ratings: Monday 24th November 2008

ABC
19:00 ABC News 1,052,000
19:30 The 7.30 Report 899,000
20:00 Face Painting with Bill Leak 885,000
20:30 The Howard Years 1,080,000
21:35 Enough Rope with Andrew Denton 1,066,000

Seven
18:00 Seven News 1,513,000
18:30 Today Tonight 1,590,000
19:00 Home and Away 1,306,000
19:30 The Rich List 1,210,000
20:30 City Homicide (R) 1,089,000
21:30 Bones 941,000
22:30 Out of the Question 461,000
23:30 Louis Theroux 210,000

Nine
18:00 Nine News 1,135,000
18:30 A Current Affair 1,026,000
19:00 Two and a Half Men (R) 1,207,000
19:30 Weddings - Where Are They Now? 1,242,000
20:30 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (R) 1,157,000
21:30 Cold Case 842,000

Ten
16:30 The Bold and The Beautiful 481,000
19:00 Will & Grace (R) 565,000
19:30 90210 408,000
20:30 Good News Week Awards 877,000
22:30 Out of the Blue 477,000

SBS
19:30 Top Gear UK 1,067,000
20:30 Swift & Shift Couriers 430,000

Evening Shares
ABC: 19.4%
Seven: 28.2%
Nine: 26.6%
Ten: 17.0%
SBS: 8.8%

anyone know what 24:redemption got on skyone?

378,000 according to the Digital Spy report.

A little disappointing, in my opinion, especially with Sky1 back on Virgin. I didn't watch it myself but read a couple of poor reviews for it this morning - maybe people switched off and didn't stick with it?

EDIT: Ignore

My guess at Christmas Day...


2.00 Top of the Pops

3.00 The Queen
3.10 FILM PREMIERE: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest

5.40 News
5.55 Strictly Come Dancing Preview (trick used last year to fill time)

6.00 EastEnders
6.30 Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

7.00 Doctor Who
8.00 Strictly Come Dancing

9.00 EastEnders

9.30 The Royle Family
10.30 Gavin and Stacey

I'm really pleased with the Spooks figures.

It seemed to be struggling slightly lasy year against IMACGMOOH. But this week has seen it getting 400,000 more vieweres than last week. Adding in the other 1 million watching on BBC Three, it seems to be getting between 6 and 6.5 million every week.

Long may it continue!!!

They wont waist POC in an afternoon slot... id go for Xmas eve!