Week 4, and ITV1 continue with their Tuesday night factual at 9pm with Too Posh To Pay on Tues 20th Jan.

Too Posh To Pay reveals how the modern day middle classes are now more dishonest than other social groups.

They have the docu-drama Stockwell regarding the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting at 9pm on Weds 21st Jan.

BBC One do seem a bit short at the minute. They didn't exactly unleash the big guns this time last year either, though. Looking back and the equivalent week in 2008 saw VOD and New Tricks repeats. They also used a one-off doc, along with two drama launches for Mistresses and Fairy Tales.

This week they've had the one-off Crimewatch, along with one drama launch in Hustle and QI starting on Friday - along with the two sitcoms in the 8pm hour tonight. Don't forget they've also been airing new drama in the 7pm slot all week. Theres similar number of new shows - just nothing really high profile and high-rating.

It wasn't until February last year that the BBC really started to hit their stride with the likes of Ashes to Ashes, Hotel Babylon and Life in Cold Blood in the 9pm slots. Looks like we're headed for a similar pattern this year.

I think it's good at what it does, but I'm just a bit bemused as to why it's suddenly being hailed as a 'quality' drama.


I liked the first series because, even though it probably had it's fair share of contrivances, it also seemed to be have an element of realism attached to it. But now each series seems to be trying to top the last in terms of high drama and you really do have to switch your brain off to believe most of what's going on.

Each to their own. It's escapism, but it's not too sensationalised (IMO). I can forgive a bit of contrivance if it's done well, and Waterloo Road is very well produced and written, I think. Some people said they felt the script was cheesy; I didn't think so.

It's certainly one of those shows where you should just enjoy it and not get too upset about it not being 100% realistic. To be quite honest, if it was 100% (or indeed if anything was) realistic, it would be fairly dull. I'd rather be gripped from start to finish (as I was yesterday) by something a little far fetched, than bored from start to (not bothering to) finish by something that's completely representative of real life.

It is one of the better dramas on TV I think, certainly pre-watershed.

I'll give you that.

Like I say, I'll happily sit down and watch it because it's not a bad show, I just don't think it's as good as people make it out to be.

Well, it reaches above that, as it airs in Scotland on Sunday nights if I remember, or at least it did last year, so that should be taken into consideration.

Needless to say, Waterloo Road seems the only fresh thing on BBC1 this & next week, perhaps because BBC1 want emphasis on it.

In 2 weeks time on Wednesday night, we've got Stockwell on ITV1, a docudrama on the shooting of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes by police after being mistaken for a suicide bomber.

This is the direction I & I'm sure others want to see ITV going. I for one will be tuning in for this & more of the same is a good idea for the 9pm slot on Wednesday nights. With football dominating that slot at least from September, IF The Bill stays there, 9pm could be used for programmes like:-

- Taggart (new + repeats - a permanent slot)
- Total Emergency (a 2nd series, it already looks like the sort of show perfect to follow The Bill, and also it doesn't need to run every week, it can be used as a filler)
- Heysel (a film on the 25th anniversairy of the disaster in Belgium, that would be 2010).

Already, we've seen stuff like the James Bulger documentary which can be a turn on for viewers, but the 'Real Crime' brand really did not do it any favours, they need to be billed as one-offs.

I've heard a whisper that BBC1 will be moving Holby to Wednesday's from September on a permanent basis.

Zoe McCallister has particularly mentioned the fact The Bill will come under a lot of pressure trying to sustain viewers if it's on and off air on Wednesday nights.

Well, I've emailed ITV and my thoughts have been submitted into 'The Daily Log', which I've been told production & management will read:-

I have requested:-

"When from September-December, Wednesday nights are dominated by international football, Champions League football, the Super Cup this year, NTA Awards, Pride of Britain, other awards ceremonies & the Royal Variety Performance as well as I'm a Celebrity & Hell's Kitchen, how can The Bill keep that Wednesday night slot?

TalkbackThames are already producing three parters for 'The Bill', for example is airing a 3 part special in a couple of weeks.

So, it could work if The Bill was re-scheduled to Tuesday & Thursday with an occasional Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday spread. I think there's a backlog anyway. And maybe if it finished for Christmas and then started again after January, this could work without harming the programme, it could improve its ratings who knows..?

Fiddlers, Cheats & Scams is coming back in the Autumn apparently for a lengthy run from 8pm-9pm on one of the weekdays.

I agree, it was excellent last night.

If I scheduled for BBC1, I'd move Waterloo Road to Tuesdays at 9pm (New Tricks repeats at the moment), with a Holby lead in, which should get it back up to 5m. Can't see them doing it though.

(Geeky stat alert) To compare, here are all of Waterloo Road's previous overnight ratings:

Series 1
5.2m
4.7m
4.6m
4.8m
4.9m
4.2m
4.6m
4.6m

Average: 4.7m

Series 2
5.0m
4.8m
4.5m
5.0m
4.6m
5.3m
4.9m
4.6m
4.7m
4.9m
4.6m
4.8m

Average: 4.8m

Series 3
5.1m
5.0m
4.6m
5.3m
5.3m
5.0m
5.2m
4.9m
5.0m
5.0m

<mid series break>

5.2m
4.8m
4.6m
4.7m
4.9m
5.3m
4.5m
4.7m
5.9m (inflated by football in Scotland)
6.0m (inflated by football in Scotland)

Average: 5.1m

---------------------

So, tbh, last night wasn't much down on previous episodes, and a lot of people I know didn't know it was back on, so hopefully the figures will rise (or at least settle). I bet it did better in the 9pm-9.30pm half hour, though, so it would rate better at 9pm imo.

Maybe it will get moved when it goes on its Easter break (which has been rumoured to match the school holidays).


Good post. I agree about Stockwell. It's exactly the kind of direction ITV should be going in, but I don't rememebr this being advertised for the Winter/Spring season? Nevertheless it looks good, but I'm worried it won't set the ratings alight.

Total Emergency could be a real stinker of a flop or could settle as a modest hit at around 4m. I'm still unsure about which way it'll go.

Interesting about Holby and this maybe suggests ITV will swap their Tuesday and Wednesday schedules when the football arrives? It would be a good idea for ITV if they can get the BBC on board.

A Matter of Loaf and Death got 16.15m in officials!

Doctor Who got 13.1m.

So the X Factor results got beaten into second spot last year by a clear 2m.

Top 25 official ratings: 22-28 December 2008

1 BBC1 WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH (THU 2035) 16.15M
2 BBC1 DOCTOR WHO (THU 1800) 13.10M
3 BBC1 EASTENDERS (THU 2107) 11.34M
4 BBC1 THE ROYLE FAMILY (THU 2138) 10.60M
5 ITV1 CORONATION STREET (MON 2029) 9.90M
6 BBC1 STRICTLY COME DANCING (THU 1902) 9.46M
7 BBC1 BBC NEWS (THU 1747) 9.34M
8 BBC1 FILM: THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS (SUN 2002) 7.73M
9 BBC1 HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU (WED 2133) 7.65M
10 BBC1 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW (SUN 1902) 7.57M
11 BBC1 FILM: WALLACE GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (THU 1629) 7.54M
12 BBC1 MY FAMILY (WED 2033) 7.31M
13 BBC1 GAVIN AND STACEY (WED 2203) 7.19M
14 ITV1 EMMERDALE (MON 1902) 7.07M
15 BBC1 FILM: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN (FRI 2033) 6.93M
16 BBC1 THE QUEEN (THU 1500) 6.79M
17 BBC2 TOP GEAR VIETNAM SPECIAL (SUN 1959) 6.70M
18 BBC1 FILM: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION (FRI 1749) 6.55M
19 ITV1 HARRY HILL'S TV BURP REVIEW OF THE YEAR (FRI 1858) 6.45M
20 BBC1 CASUALTY (SAT 2040) 6.38M
21 BBC1 FILM: SHREK THE HALLS (WED 1934) 6.32M
22 BBC1 THE NATIONAL LOTTERY - IN IT TO WIN IT (SAT 1950) 6.03M
23 ITV1 ALL STAR FAMILY FORTUNES (SAT 1905) 6.02M
24 ITV1 MIDSOMER MURDERS (WED 2034) 5.89M
25 ITV1 FUNNIEST EVER YOU'VE BEEN FRAMED! (SAT 1803) 5.70M

Top 50 Most Watched Programmes of 2008
01 - 16.15m - WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH (25/12/08) - BBC1
02 - 14.06m - THE X FACTOR RESULTS (13/12/08) - ITV1
03 - 13.88m - BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT FINAL RESULT (31/05/08) - ITV1
04 - 13.10m - DOCTOR WHO (25/12/08) - BBC1
05 - 13.02m - CORONATION STREET (18/01/08) - ITV1
06 - 12.97m - STRICTLY COME DANCING (20/12/08) - BBC1
07 - 12.08m - DANCING ON ICE (16/03/08) - ITV1
08 - 11.73m - EASTENDERS (24/03/08) - BBC1
09 - 10.60m - THE ROYLE FAMILY (25/12/08)
10 - 10.19m - I’M A CELEBRITY - GET ME OUT OF HERE! (29/11/08) ITV1

11 - 10.11m - ANTIQUES ROADSHOW (16/11/08) - BBC1
12 - 10.05m - UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Man Utd v Chelsea (21/05/08) - ITV1
13 - 9.83m - CHILDREN IN NEED 2008 (14/11/08) - BBC1
14 - 9.36m - NEW TRICKS (18/08/08) - BBC1
15 - 9.34m - BBC NEWS (25/12/08) - BBC1
16 - 9.29m - THE APPRENTICE (11/06/08) - BBC1
17 - 9.18m - MATCH OF THE DAY LIVE: England v Switzerland (06/02/08) - BBC1
18 - 9.08m - BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX (02/11/08) - ITV1
19 - 8.90m - LEWIS (24/02/08) - ITV1

20 - 8.85m - EMMERDALE (02/01/08) - ITV1
21 - 8.84m - EURO 2008: MATCH OF THE DAY LIVE: Germany v Spain (29/06/08) - BBC1
22 - 8.80m - WIMBLEDON 2008 (30/06/08) - BBC1
23 - 8.65m - THE GIRLS ALOUD PARTY (13/12/08) - ITV1
24 - 8.59m - WILD AT HEART (02/03/08) - ITV1
25 - 8.52m - A TOUCH OF FROST (19/10/08) - ITV1
26 - 8.51m - HEARTBEAT (06/01/08) - ITV1
27 - 8.47m - CASUALTY (02/02/08) - BBC1
28 - 8.28m - HARRY HILL’S TV BURP (06/12/08) - ITV1
29 - 8.04m - ASHES TO ASHES (07/02/08) - BBC1

30 - 7.98m - MIDSOMER MURDERS (27/04/08) - ITV1
31 - 7.92m - FOYLES WAR (20/04/08) - ITV1
32 - 7.82m - THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DRAWS (20/12/08) - BBC1
33 - 7.80m - THE NATIONAL LOTTERY - IN IT TO WIN IT (02/02/08) - BBC1
34 - 7.76m - ANT AND DEC'S SATURDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY (15/03/08) - ITV1
35 - 7.75m - THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE (17/12/08) - BBC1
36 - 7.76m - WE ARE MOST AMUSED (15/11/08) - ITV1
37 - 7.74m - TOP GEAR (02/11/08) - BBC2
38 - 7.73m - THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS (28/12/08) - BBC1
39 - 7.70m - FILM: HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET FIRE (05/10/08) - ITV1

40 - 7.69m - FLOOD (04/05/08) - ITV1
41 - 7.65m - HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU (24/12/08) - BBC1
42 - 7.54m - FILM: WALLACE GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (25/12/08) - BBC1
43 - 7.53m - FILM: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (18/05/08) - BBC1
44 - 7.37m - EURO 2008 LIVE: Holland v Russia (21/06/08) - ITV1
45 - 7.36m - HARRY HILL’S TV BURP (26/01/08) - ITV1
46 - 7.31m - MY FAMILY (24/12/08) - BBC1
47 - 7.27m - LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD (13/01/08) - BBC1
48 - 7.25m - INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL: England v Germany (19/11/08) - ITV1
49 - 7.19m - GAVIN AND STACEY (24/12/08) - BBC1
50 - 7.19m - WAKING THE DEAD (14/04/08) - BBC1

Note: Only the top rating per programme.
Also, this is not the official BARB list. BARB may include The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and Dancing on Ice twice in that list.

Wallace and Gromit was the most watched television programme (not including sport) since 16/02/04, when Coronation Street got 16.33m.

Great official rating for WAG. No sports events in top 10 I notice...

If only The Olympics were in primetime. Massive rating for Wallace and Gromit and Doctor Who cleared 13 million again! Just incredible! Terrestrial television is not dead!!

So the top performing soap of 2008 is Coronation Street!

Both ITV1 and BBC1 take 5 places in the top 10 so both can be fairly pleased with themselves. If I remember correctly, ITV had most of the top 10 spots last years so the BBC did well to regain a few. BBC1 have a nice mixture of shows in the top 10 whereas Coronation Street is the only non-reality TV show entry for ITV1 which goes to show that ITV need to find other types of programmes that rate highly.

15 CORONATION STREET (THU 2216) ITV 2 0.76

This is encouraging for ITV to start airing their soap repeats earlier, but I feel they should be on ITV3 not ITV2, if anyone else agrees?

Emmerdale at 10:30pm; Coronation Street from 11pm approx

I was a little surprised to see this in ITV2's chart, but it makes sense with many people watching BBC1 regardless all night, then switching over later on through the various channels to see what's on. Gavin & Stacey also seemed to put in a good performance on BBC3 on Christmas Day.

I doubt it would be getting figures like those for permanent repeats-it was a one off I think.

Absolutely great figures for W&G and interesting to see DW beat Corrie in officials...but still for me the biggest shock is seeing IAC in the top 10-something I definetely didn't think I'd see again!

EDIT: Regarding the multichannel top 10 it's amazing to see Without A Trace on FIVE:US at the top!! And also to see Bionic Woman 2nd!

The Bill episode last night was a particularly strong one to combat Waterloo Road. Might have been deliberate.

Incidentally, on This Morning today Caroline Quentin said that Blue Murder is back on ITV very soon and that she believes they have committed to another series to be filmed from April.

She has also created a Buster Keaton/ Mr Bean style silent comedy with her cop partner from Blue Murder and they are marketting it to channels now as an attempt to get something totally different onto TV.

I don't think Five or ITV2 expected those two shows to break 2m, it will be interesting what multichannel shows bar sport will do as well this year, I reckon Skellig on Sky1 might if they market it well.

BBC One does seem to saving most of their big guns until February as have Channel 4 with The Great British Food Fight which I think will match or beat The Big Food Fight which did really well for them and Five are saving Minder for early February too.

More Wednesday ratings:

DIY:SOS-2.9m
Waterloo Road (8-9pm)-4.4m
(9-9:30pm)-5.1m

Emmerdale-7.8m
Coronation Street-9.5m

Channel 4 News-1.2m

FIVE News-0.4m
Extraordinary Animals-0.7m

Based on 15 minute breakdowns, so not 100% accurate. But it seems in general BBC1 had a poor night, with Anne Frank dropping considerably, DIY:SOS flopping & Waterloo Road avereraging even less in its 8-9pm slot, which it will be airing in for the next 19 weeks. It doesn't bode well, but proves that it really should be airing in the 9pm slot, not against The Bill. Also it seems it needs the lead in, because it grew its audience over the time it was on air.

Strong ratings for ITV's 2 soaps.

Next week WR is not against The Bill - there is a Foyles War repeat which is billed as 1 of 3 - so maybe thats why they moved it?

Where can I find the list of the top multi-channel programmes?

Proof that Waterloo Road should air at 9pm, where it would top 5m most weeks (probably end up touching 6m if it aired after Holby like I suggested earlier).

I've just watched Waterloo Road, I can't do Wednesdays at 8 Have to say it was a great episode and I'm slightly disappointed with the low-ish figures