Well, these days Heartbeat is less a Ben Nevis, more a Cannock Chase.

Whilst Britannia High is something found on the Fens...

Some observations, I love Spooks but it hasn't gotten 9 million since the first series but it does well enough. The Thursday Comedy Zone on BBC2 needs to stop. The shows aren't getting good ratings and instead of being lumped together might work better if separated and placed on different days on BBC2. ITV's Saturday night is perfectly scheduled and doing very nicely thank you and actually feels fresher than BBC1's. Merlin is one of the most enjoyable shows that most people aren't watching, much better than Robin Hood but just like Hood is the sacrificial lamb against The X Factor.

It would do better if BBC1 had another successful show and it could be sandwiched between that and Strictly. The problem is though that BBC1 just don't have the populist touch the way ITV does with mainstream light entertainment, maybe they need some new people in there to come up with ideas?

Yes Brittania High does seem to be rather unfortunately named.

Two wrongs don't make a right, oh smug one.


I feel ITV gets a pretty rough deal compared to BBC1, and that's why I tend to sway with them if I have to choose. Yes, ITV1 has some rubbish programmes, but so does every other channel. I think the line was crossed when I noticed Hole in the Wall gets over 4.5m while a half decent drama like The Palace struggled in a better slot to match it.


School's out forever...

Mainstream Light Entertainment needs suitable presenters and the only recognisable ones are at ITV. The fact that Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross have done so much pre watershed work and the fact that Nick Knowles has done any LE shows at all proves that there is a distinct lack of names in the frames these days.

Of the current crop of youngish light entertainment presenters Ant & Dec really have no equal. Tess Daly, Vernon Kay, Ben Shepherd, Jenny Falconer, Fearne Cotton and Dermot O'Dreary are bland in comparison. Having said all of this Ant & Dec can't hold a candle to Noel Edmonds or Cilla at their peaks, but they are the best out there now.

The thing about light entertainment is that it requires a certain style to be engaging and entertaining and people like Nick Knowles or Mylene Klass, even though they are competenT, don't have it. But where are the next crop of really good presenters? I haven't seen anybody out there that has that certain extra something....except one, Ed Petrie from CBBC. He could possibly become a very good L.E. presenter in time.

I don't tend to rave about either. Whilst I love the BBC unconditionally and I love ITV when it gets things right, I don't feel the need to promote either of these views very strongly. Perhaps that's because others are doing this for me, I don't know!

Out of all the channels I am slightly skewed towards Five. It is the most interesting network to me personally, especially from a ratings perspective, as it is still very much the new kid on the block. As I have voiced previously I strongly believe it is the only network excluding multi-channel which has potential for further growth during and after the digital switchover phase, as this will ensure Five is available to all TV viewers for the first time via digital; coverage of the analogue version is still very patchy and has been since its inception.

No guarantee of course that all these newly digital homes gaining access to Five for the first time will actually take advantage of it, but that's what makes it so interesting. I am encouraged by the progress it has made though and certainly the foundations are now there for it to evolve into a consistent and well-rounded channel.

However, despite my particular interest in Five, I do try to keep my posts balanced and if Five are getting something wrong I will be the first to voice my concern.

I try to be as neutral as I can, and equally critical of the BBC's sometimes curious scheduling decisions as I am of ITV's sometimes curious commissioning decisions.

But I do feel that ITV has lost its way, a pale imitation now of the colossus it once was, and whilst the Beeb has its problems, it does still largely do the business and most of the time strike a nice balance between mainstream popular broadcasting and serving the greater public good.

I have always liked to see BBC beating ITV in the ratings, for many years now - so long that I can't quite remember why!

I think I have come across lately as overdoing the BBC "cheerleader" thing, but it is fairly tongue in cheek stuff and largely in response to the ITV1 groupies increasingly dominating the thread.

Hasselhoff sits in the Simon Cowell seat on America's Got Talent. I've only ever caught fleeting glimpses, but that show must be utterly insane... The Hoff, Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and Jerry Springer?!!!

Back to last night, I think what must worry ITV most is that there were 29 million people watching TV between 8pm and 9pm last night. So for all BBC1/BBC2 might be putting out some strong shows, the height of the competition isn't really such a big deal because there are so many viewers. Surely more than 3m should have stumbled there by accident?!

And none to surprisingly, Robbie hasn't posted this weekends averages for XF and SCD. So in the interests of fairness...

X Factor: 11.3m (48%)
Strictly: 9.8m (38%)

Weighted Averages (Performance/Results 2:1)
X Factor: 11.5m ( 47%)
Strictly: 9.8m (39%)

Brilliant weekend for XF but very good for Strictly as well only dropping a bit from last week.

I'm more of a BBC Two/Channel 4/Five person though I do watch some stuff on BBC One and ITV1 but the likes of SCD or X Factor don't interest me.


Interesting viewing Dancc, I think Five have played it safe over the last few years with its mix of US imports, factual and films and got stuck in a rut but with new leadership under Dawn Airey and Richard Woolfe, I believe that it will change for the better. It's not perfect but it definetly a different channel from when it started in 1997 and is one that I watch on a regular basis.


I think the family films on Channel 4 and Five could of had an effect plus multichannel as well.

Seeing as we seem to be declaring "allegiances", I've got no particular preference. The ratings thread wouldn't be the same without the BBC/ITV and SCD/XF banter and I watch XF. But in terms of ITV/BBC, I don't have any particular preference. I occasionally sympathise with ITV because they have made an effort this year and an awful lot went wrong (particularly in January) although they blow that when they commission things like Rock Rivals or schedule Britannia High at 7pm etc. BBC1 does seem to "get away" with so much more in terms of "trashy" TV and getting ratings whatever it puts out. But I don't watch either channel particularly more than the other.

I probably watch more multi-channel than I do terrestrial. So I'm quite interested in ratings for E4, ITV2, BBC3, Sky One and to some extent, Five (although it isn't multi-channel and I don't actually watch it). Because they are a bit more "open" than the main channels which rely heavily on established hits. But unlike the main channels, there is a potential for growth and to be a bit more creative with the schedules and direction of the channels.

This is probably the best Chirstmas day prediction that I've seen in any of the threads - bravo!!!

SCD is 'sacrificed' up against Corrie. Before and after that, it's BBC One all the way. Hoping for big figures for Doctor Who.

In relation to your afternoon problem, they could easily put on a film that is abit longer, such as The Chronicles of Narnia - it's quite a Christmassy film too - or show Doctor Who at the proms in that slot as a precursor to the main show later on.

Might flip Eastenders and Wallace and Gromit round, although Eastenders would give it a massive lead-in with ITV only having TV Burp on against it.

Almost? It goes way beyond that every day...



and that's just the DS News reports.


There's a little spurt everytime Cowell totters anywhere or paints his hair!



I'm disgusted! How could you forget AntnDec, Cilla Black, ITV Digital Monkey, Des O'Connor, Bernie Winters, Suranne Jones, Robson Green, Cast of Albion Market, Benny Hill, Lynda La Plante, Bill Roache, Tommy Cooper, David Liddiment, Bob Carolgees, Martin Clunes, Jim Bowen, CAN YOU HEAR ME (?) and, er... Tommy Boyd?


Also shocked you didn't stick GeorgeS on your list!

I wish I had sky+ lol.

I can't miss BBC 1's line up so will probably stick with them most of the day, but I would like to see some of the stuff ITV has on (even if it pales in comparison).

I don't though, so it looks like I'll only be able to catch the repeats of ITV's stuff in the early hours or give them a miss full stop.

Haven't the beeb already confirmed EE's timeslots?

Poor sad old James. As obsessed as ever by 2 things (1 what people say on Digital Spy and the other I will leave to your imagination ) Thanks as always for the mentions.

Actually, my original suggestion (last week) of Superman Returns would fit perfectly:

3.00 The Queen
3.10 Film: Superman Returns
5.35 News
5.45 SCD Preview show
5.55 EastEnders, etc...

Are you reading this, George whatsisname and Jay Hunt?


I was concentrating on ITV's "talent" rather than its individual shareholders...

If only the BBC had comedy writers as good as this

Do you work for ITV George or just a fan?

I'll declare my allegiance. I love the BBC purely because growing up they had most of my favourite shows. ITV irritates me slightly because of their endless use of soaps to prop up their schedule. But they're not all bad and have produced some good enjoyable programmes this year such as their Monday night crime dramas and Primeval. I do feel though that people love to knock them and they don't get credit even when they make good TV.

And as much as I love the BBC, I'll be the first to admit that not everything they do is brilliant. Some of their shows are appalling like Bonekickers or their recent dire comedy efforts like Parents Of The Band.

ITV1
20.30 - I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here - 8.1m (33%)

ITV Media

He does own shares in ITV, so has a vested interest clearly.


That's not great when it went out in the second Corrie slot, and against Panorama.

Actually I dont, so you should stop making unfounded comments if you please. Even if I did still own a few hundred shares in ITV it wouldnt change my opinions.

As regards ITV, the complaints by a bunch of mainly young male posters here on DS and elsewhere that ITV dare to show programmers aimed at females & older people (and therefore must be necessarily crap) is what amuses me. This thread is woefully unrepresentative of the population as a whole, and as such any comments need to be taken with a huge pinch of salt.

I just listened to an interview Simon Cowell did yesterday and understandably he was boasting about the ratings XF got. But he said the show got 60% share... I dunno where he got that figure from?!

Source: http://www.kiisfm.com/cc-common/medi...KIIS-FM&TRACK=

Much of ITV's success over the years has been making dramas that appeal to older people. They are a huge audience that make shows like New Tricks and Doc Martin popular. ITV have been trying so hard to make some of their drama more trendy that they don't appeal to older viewers, and younger viewers aren't keen on them either.

The way I see it, not every show on ITV should be made to appeal to the 18-49 crowd. They already have many shows that do like Saturday Night Takeaway, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and I'm A Celebrity.

Sky One:

Britney: For The Record - 391,000 (1.8%)

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2...es_391000.html