Simply incredible for The X Factor. Beautiful ratings.. the 12th most watched show of the 21st Century and the top rated show of the year ITV and Simon Cowell will definetly be happy! Just goes to show how the nation comes together to watch shows like these.. despite the multichannel age, if terrestrial channels make the right programmes, then it goes to show that an extremely high proportion of viewers will all still watch the same thing - it's a wonderful feeling.

The Xmas Day 07 EE episode got an official rating of 14.38m.

That X Factor Final Results show could possibly beat it when the officials come out, because it's timeshifts have been very high this series (around 1m).

To be honest Im not surprised at the X Factor figures. The whole series has been ahead of recent years efforts without being any different and this huge figure was on the cards as the final is now a national event and would have added the curious "you just have to be there" types as well.
Girls Aloud would have got 4 million as a stand alone show but benefited hugely from the big "love-in" that X Factor has become. There are only a few days in the year that single channels can look at these figures-finals of reality shows XF, SCD,DOI, BGT and maybe the Champions League final with a home team and a few odd other sporting events depending on extreme luck. So I guess its not surprising that it fills these pages.
SCD results just slipped further on the banana skin course this series has followed though it should have run after the main X Factor results. Sitll its more popular this year than last.
Merlin is brilliant stuff and is deservedly recommisioned for series 2 though any show the BBC expensively create is always thrust at X Factor and never really flies like it would have done in the eighties or nineties.

To move away (just for a second!) from tv, doubtless Girls Aloud will be getting big boost to their album sales next week. Cheryl joining X-Factor really is the best thing that has ever happened to them.

Last Year - Xmas Day
BBC One
15:08 - FILM: Finding Nemo - 7.29m
16:41 - FILM: Shrek 2 - 9.36m
18:19 - EastEnders - 11.97m
18:50 - Doctor Who - 13.31m
20:03 - EastEnders - 14.38m
20:34 - Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special - 8.62m
21:35 - To The Manor Born - 10.25m
22:32 - The Catherine Tate Christmas Show - 6.75m

ITV1
18:49 - Emmerdale - 6.19m*
19:59 - Harry Hill's TV Burp - 3.65m
20:28 - Coronation Street - 9.40m
21:31 - FILM: Love Actually - 4.73m

*Despite the normal Xmas Day "lift" you'd expect, this was the lowest rated episode of the week for Emmerdale.

Oh and I've just realised Harry Potter is going up against the woefully bad Sharks Tale (I walked out of that movie: only time I ever have!)

The funny thing is all of the shows you have mentioned that are huge ratings pullers (aside from Champions League) are all talent shows, and Channel 4's best performing show is a reality show. Yet it is this kind of show which is criticised time and again again, and apparently noone watches it

Presumably the future of Merlin depends on how it does on NBC from January onwards as presumably that is where a lot of the money to make it is coming from?

And in the current state NBC is in...

We know its back for a second series (well Anthony Head seems to think it is) and it utterly deserves to be.

Last night's episode ended with "Merlin will return". So somebody thinks it's already been recommissioned.

K

I think what surprised me most was the performance of the first show getting more than 13 million and a massive peak for it as well. I know it's frowned upon by some people to praise XF ratings, but if we can't praise the highest rated show of the year that what can we praise?!

I think Girls Aloud Party was the right choice to fill the gap as oppose to Take That because of the Cheryl connection. It was actually a decent show (if cringeworthy during the acting!) and did alot better than I expected. I think Girls Aloud are going to sell alot of albums this week!

The overnights don't seem perfect but are more organised than I expected. Although Strictly finished early not due to scheduling but either due to pure incompetence or deliberate fixing, so it deserves those figures for last night!

Astronomical ratings for XF! What times do the ITV1 repeat start, please?

Also, what kind of advert/promo was done for DOI? Anything special?

It was just yer bog standard ITV promo but a promo's a promo and it did air during the highest rated show of the year.

Ok....

Just digressing slightly, out of interest, does any know how much an advertising slot was going for last night during XF?

Ouch. I really did underestimate TXF. Those figures are unbelievable. And 8m for Girls Aloud Party is outrageous for filler that would be lucky to pull 3m in the Sunday 8pm slot but just highlights the advantage of being part of TXF Finale sandwich; viewers will stay put regardless. It's a shame really that ITV didn't take better advantage of this- perhaps a special 5 minute preview of Demons before or after Girls Aloud?

Fantastic ratings for X Factor and The Girls Aloud Party though Merlin did pretty well as did SCD. BBC Two had a greeat night with Dad's Army despite the heavy competition and Five held up pretty well with the repeats of the US imports.


I imagine that it has been budgeted so that it can survive without US money. Shows like Ronin of Sherwood and The Avengers were axed due to the loss of US funding.

Incredible ratings for TXF. Pretty happy with those. I don't think any of us, before the start of the series, imagined the show would be such a massive success this year. I mean, it's been on the air for five years so that makes it even more astonishing. The show seems to have firmly established itself as a 'television event' now and I can see ITV milking that aspect even more next year.

It's shows like The X Factor that people seem to flock to in the current climate - I think it's that feel-good aspect. Last night's final was really uplifting.

It should retain that position as the most watched show of 2008 now - would be very surprised if anything on Christmas Day manages to topple that.

I don't see why people are saying Doctor who will only get around 10million. It is only starting 50 minutes earlier than last year and the fact it is called The Next Doctor and that David Tennant is leaving next year should give it a boost. Thats why i'm expecting a figure close to last years.

WOW! loved the X Factor last night

As for xmas day... the BBC will win every slot!!! (maybe not SCD VS Corrie) and like someone said, sharktale is crap, but ITV are showing the 3rd HP which isnt even that good (IMO) and it would of been better if they had shown GOF... or casino royal?? whens that going to be on?? But at least they have an xmas ident this year

Channel 4 did OK as well with 1.12m and a 4.2% share for a repeat of River Cottage. For Channel 4 on a Saturday, that is pretty decent. It was downhill after that though, and I bet ITV2 tripled C4's audience while Xtra Factor pt. 2 was on.

Friday
BBC2
20.00- Gardener of the Decade: 1.76m (8%)
21.00- RAF at 90: 2.06m (9.7%)

C4
18.30- Hollyoaks: 1.37m (6.8%)
20.00- Come Dine With Me: 1.66m (7.5%)
21.00- Gordon Ramsay's Cookalong Live: 2.34m (10.8%)
22.05- The IT Crowd: 1.45m (7.5%)

Five
17.30- Neighbours: 1.46m (9.3%)
18.00- Home & Away: 1.02m (5.5%)
20.00- World's Strongest Man Super Series: 1.05m (4.7%)
21.00- NCIS: 1.5m (6.9%)
22.00- Law & Order: SVU: 1.21m (6.6%)
23.00- Law & Order: SVU: 968,000 (8.5%)

BBC3
22.00- EastEnders: 568,000 (3.2%)

E4
19.00- Hollyoaks: 520,000 (2.9%) [ +1: 63,000 (0.1%) ]

Source: Digital Spy

SCD "Results" didn't even deserve it's 7.32m.

They should have been open and honest that there would not be a vote off from the outset of the result show rather than keeping viewers watching a load of filler under false pretences. Even more viewers could then have enjoyed the Girls Aloud Party.

Why not save the licence fee payer by putting out this weeks show again next week, or at least as a revised repeat.

Whether it was cock-up, poor planning or otherwise, it's been amusing to see SCD trying to drum up some controversy whilst lagging behind in the ratings. Didn't that used to be the X-Factor's tactic ?

Yes SCD does look increasingly desperate.

Bruce on SCD's rating:

Bruce Forsyth also said Strictly's early time slot hadn't helped the show capitalise on Sergeant's exit. "If John Sergeant had done the same thing and we'd been on at 7pm, we would have got a bigger audience," he says. "The BBC have put us on far too early. We have got a bad slot.

"If you are going to have a head-to-head about who is the top show on Saturday night, that is where we should be. Never before 7pm."

"We trail X Factor in the ratings this year because BBC chiefs have put us on too early"

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/show...-X-Factor.html

But we all know he's not leaving until next year. Having said that it's bound to do well.