That's another thing...LOTSW...no promotion at all and it gets shifted all around the BBC1 schedule...and occasionally on BBC2!

BBC1 schedulers need to sort out and make their minds up on the following shows:

-My Family
-Green Green Grass
-After You've Gone
-Last Of The Summer Wine

I doubt they'll be comissioning any more pre watershed comedy at the moment.

I think they need to come up with one slot where these 4 shows can air on a rota all year round. Corrie has really mucked up BBC1's slot for these shows and the effects have been:

My Family
Moved to Fridays at 9.30pm, and was 1m+ down on previous series.

Last of the Summer Wine
The constant shift in its slot caused low ratings, which dramatically fluctuated from 1.5m to 5m!

After You've Gone
Shunted around the schedules, and falling to 3m, 2m+ down on last year.

These shows need to be sorted. Zoe's Sunday 7pm or Wednesday 8pm suggestions are best (Thursday has 20 weeks of Waterloo Road per year), although they need to be at the same time each week, so viewers will know if they tune into BBC1 at e.g. 8pm on Wednesdays, they will get a family sitcom, and not another bloody DIY/...Cops show.

I think Last of the Summer Wine was last trailed in 2002. I think that was also roughly the last time the BBC Press Office wrote anything about it.

There's another series of My Family in the can. I wonder where that'll go!

The fact that last year's "Christmas special" of LOTSW didn't air until August shows how much BBC1 care about it. I'm not a fan, but it must be annoying for those who are.

I think Jam and Jerusalem is coming back too. I've no idea where that should go, or indeed why it is back at all.

7:30pm Monday at this rate...

Just 2 questions completely unrelated to this...

1. When does I'm A Celebrity return?
2. What have ITV got lined up after Wired? Are there any more 3 part dramas left before IAC?

Yes, it was bizarre that they kept the Christmas Special back for so long. Wonder when this year's special (if they've filmed one) will make it to air. I enjoy LOTSW, and you're right, it is annoying trying to remember what time (or channel!) it's going to be on.

Jam and Jerusalem coming back? That's a surprise. More of a shock than a surprise, really!

Just to complicate things further, there are three new BBC One sitcoms planned for the new year. I've no idea whether they are going to be pre or post-watershed:

Life of Riley - Caroline Quentin.
The Old Guys - Clive Swift, Roger Lloyd Pack.
Parents of the Band - Jimmy Nail.

The Old Guys will be first shown on BBC Scotland, but is due to get a network repeat.

There was a bit in the Sun about it today, in which it said it'd return "next month".


I don't think there is/would be. Maybe a one-off special of something?

1. At a guess, depending on whether it launches on a Sunday or Minday, I think it will be 9th/10th or 16th/17th November.

2. The Commander is a 3 parter but I can see them saving that until after IAC until December. I can see them airing Sharpe's Peril and/or Above Suspicion stripped across Sunday and Monday after Frost/Wired until IAC returns.

The first 2 will probably end up airing after the watershed. Parents of the Band sounds awful and will hopefully air on BBC2 (would fit right in on Thursdays at 9.30pm).

I would think something like 24th November so that they can fit another 3-parter in before it. Or they might put a filler in for one week and allow it to return on the 10th.

The Old Guys sounds the most promising to me. Knowing my luck, they'll abandon the networking plan!

DS now have the week's ratings up.

Yep, Neil's been working hard this weekend.

I think he deserves to go home and put his feet up for the evening, now.

Thanks for the replies-ITV need to be careful this year about the scheduling as last year IIRC it fell below 5m against CIN. Also this year has NaT so it will be very interesting as to what ITV do to boost the fortunes and get the ratings back up.

What ITV shouldn't do is air the final on a Friday-insane move imo and the final needs to be on a Sunday this year (Mondays are out of the question really because of NaT). Also Saturday's are very full atm and need to fit an hour of IAC in & ITV will struggle to avoid a huge clash between XF and SCD then, even though XF gets shorter each week.

Re the placing of Green Green Grass, My Family, After You've Gone etc, to me the obvious solution would be on Sunday nights, thus:

BBC1:

6.45 SCD results
7.30 Green Green Grass, My Family etc
8.00 Antiques Roadshow
9.00 drama serial/Stephen Fry, etc

Sandwiched between two high-rating shows should help the comedy secure a good audience, particularly with no Coro St on ITV1. This would be a throwback to the 70s and 80s when BBC1 (and ITV1) ran their top-rating sitcoms in the Sunday 7.15pm slot (Only Fools, Open All Hours, Summer Wine, Ever Decreasing Circles; for ITV, The Two of Us, Watching, etc)

SCD did well enough in the 6.45 slot last year, getting up to 9m.

BBC2 would keep Top Gear/Charley Boorman etc in the 8pm Sunday slot, and offer distinctive programming rather than have TG clash with and damage SCD or the sitcoms.

And, I'd put MOTD2 on BBC1 at 10.15 after the news. It pulls 4m+ on Saturday nights, yet gets nothing like that hidden away on BBC2 on Sundays - despite usually having the bigger games. If it can get 4m on Saturdays, I'm sure it could do the same on BBC1 on Sundays.

Good ideas, Robbie.

Will be interesting to see if HITW gets a ratings boost next Saturday, what with Harry Hill giving it a good 5 minute plug to his ITV1 audience last night. If I'd never seen it, I might just tune in next week to see if it was as bad as he made out.

Clear boost there from people tuning in for X Factor.

Is TV Burp ITV1's equivalent of The One Show then? (That's directed at GeorgeS, mainly... )

Perhaps, although TV Burp is one of the best shows on TV.

I think you've hit the nail on the head as to what BBC1 should do with their comedies. That Sunday schedule is very strong.

Friday 17th October 2008

8:00
CBS Ghost Whisperer 8.87m
FOX Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader (R) 5.08m
ABC Wife Swap 4.99m
NBC Crusoe - Series Premiere 6.74m
CW Everybody Hates Chris 1.79m

8:30
CW The Game 1.81m

9:00
NBC Crusoe - Series Premiere 7.73m
CBS The Ex List 6.35m
FOX Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader (R) 5.50m
ABC Supernanny 5.34m
CW America’s Next Top Model (R) 1.33m

10:00
CBS Numb3rs 8.60m
ABC 20/20 6.87m
NBC Life 5.93

Decent ratings for Crusoe though it will be interesting how it does in the coming weeks. CBS has a decent Friday Night Schedule with Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs but The Ex List is the only weak link and I can't see lasting.

What did After you've Gone get on Friday.
Edit Found it 3.1m Rather Low for a excellent comedy.

Strictly should have Kathryn Jenkins on every week, particularly in that outfit she's wearing right now.

15m a week guaranteed...

Are you sure you mean After You've Gone??