4 million. Very disappointing for Harry anyway, but even more so after his terrific performance last week. Badly scheduled really. People have been used to the later starts so I'm sure the sudden move will have dented it significantly. I didn't even realise it was on earlier until I flicked over by accident.

So what caused the slump? Better weather? Tougher cometition from Total Wipeout? (Why has no-one reported TW's overnights?)

A lot of posts on the TV Burp forum suggest a lot of people may have been taken by surprise by the earlier start time. (Edit: The above post was added whilst I was typing this one.)

Or was it boosted last week by people tuning in early for Takeaway?

4.6m for TW (according to Broadcast)

Looking at that, then, it seems as though both of them suffered by going against each other, and I imagine that they get a similar audience.

I'd expect TV Burp to get closer to 5m this week, as people will have realised about the earlier start, and TW isn't on.

Ta for that.

A result for TW to beat the highly acclaimed Burp.

I think Burp is a brilliant programme but I've seen bits of Wipeout and it is quite funny watching these people go splat! so I see its appeal.

It started on Friday, 4th September 1998. In fact, since I'm here, here's how the first series was scheduled...

Friday 4th September, 8-8.30pm (opposite Fawlty Towers)
Saturday 5th September, 8-8.30pm (opposite half of the lottery and Casualty)
Sunday 6th September, 7.30-8pm (Corrie at eight, opposite the film Batteries Not Included)
Monday 7th September, 8-8.30pm (opposite 'stEnders)
Tuesday 8th September, 8-8.30pm (opposite dull docusoap)
Wednesday 9th September, 8-8.30pm (opposite Changing Rooms)
Thursday 10th September, 8-8.30pm (opposite first BBC1 episode of Ground Force)
Friday 11th September, 8-8.30pm
Saturday 12th September, 8-8.30pm
Sunday 13th September, 7-7.30pm (Corie at eight again, oposite an hour-long 'stEnders)

As you can see, at that point it was a very short run, always half an hour and more or less consistent in its scheduling. Then there was a Christmas Day show, then the next series started in January 1999, when it was a massive, massive hit, and they started moving it around and extending it and so forth. So that's...

Friday 1st January, 8-8.30pm (opposite premiere of Apollo 13)
Saturday 2nd January, 8-9pm
Sunday 3rd January, 8-8.30pm
Monday 4th January, 8-8.30pm (opposite 'stEnders)
Tuesday 5th January, 7.30-8pm (opposite 'stEnders)
Wednesday 6th January, 8-8.30pm
Thursday 7th January, 8-8.30pm
Friday 8th January, 8-8.30pm
Saturday 9th January, 8-9pm
Sunday 10th January, 8-8.30pm (highest rated episode ever, I think, opposite repeat of the film Stargate)
Monday 11th January, 8-8.30pm (opposite 'stEnders)
Tuesday 12th January, 7.30-8.30pm (opposite forty minute 'stEnders and start of first episode of Holby City)
Wednesday 13th January, 8-8.30pm

The last one I'm going to do is the third series which was shown in March to spearhead the new ITV schedules which involved moving the news to 11pm. So that's...

Friday 5th March, 8.30-9pm (last night of News at Ten)
Saturday 8th March, 8.05-9.05pm
Sunday 9th March, 8.30-9pm (shown between hour long Corrie and A Touch of Frost, all of which got millions and millions of viewers and I think contributed to one of BBC1's lowest rated Sundays ever)
Monday 8th March, 8-8.30pm (opposite 'stEnders, first night of news at 11pm)
Tuesday 9th March, 8-9pm
Wednesday 10th March, 8-8.40pm (it was billed as running to 8.30 but the premiere of Goldeneye, which followed, was an awkward length)
Thursday 11th March, 8-9pm
Friday 12th March, 9-10pm (Red Nose Day on BBC1)
Saturday 13th March, 8.15-9.05pm (just coincidentally of course in exactly the same slot as the last episode of Casualty)
Sunday 14th March, 8.30-9pm (no hour-long Corrie this time, just an episode of flop sitcom Days Like These at 8pm to try and prop it up)
Monday 15th March, 8-8.30pm
Tuesday 16th March, 8-9pm

After that, there were another series in September 1999, then in November as part of a mental week when ITV showed Corrie and Emmerdale every night and that Return Of Bet In Brighton Corrie spin-off at 10pm every night. Then there was one show on Christmas Eve and three on Christmas Day, then another series in January 2000, then another in April, then the first celebrity special on the May Day Bank Holiday. Then from September it was shown continuously three or four times a week.

Hmm, I thought this might be more interesting. Never mind.

No, but Six-Nations rugby is and that will do much better than TW. Last weekend it peaked at 7.7m.

I know Burp was on against the rugby when it took its big audience last week, but that was against the post-match analysis. Next week it'll be on at the same time as the match.

So, how long does COM last then?

It's 8 episodes. BBC1 will be disappointed it's not 80.

Oh, definately, but Burp usually gets a decent audience against the rugby (even in an early slot), usually of about 5m. I think TW is likely to attract more of Burp's audience than the rugby (and remember that TW had a 30 minute headstart on Saturday).

I presume the schedule that GeorgeS posted is his "guesstimate" because I'm guessing COM will be in the 9pm slot.

Don't think it's a guess. It's what the RT website has!

K

It's what's listed at Radio Times at the moment :

BBC One have

17:55 Film : Chicken Run
19:20 Let's Dance For Comic Relief
20:45 The National Lottery Draw
20:55 Casualty
21:45 The Old Guys

oh, where's Colour Of Money going?

Skipping a week by the looks of things (unless RT have managed to predict an early canning of the show!)

K

Interesting... but I'm guessing that's provisional... Midsomer episodes are normally 2 hours, not 1 1/2 hours.

Some of the older ones were 90 minutes. I can see them putting COM at 9pm, though.

What happened to Harry Hill!?!

I hope Law and Order: UK got good ratings tonight, because it was fantastic and would be a shame if it got dismal ratings.

I didn't think it was well advertised at all, I just happened to tune in just when it started assuming it would be on at least half and hour later! I would have been gutted if I'd have missed it!

DS show discussion check

L&O UK - 135 posts today
WDYTYA - 5 posts today

As of 22:14.

Totally agree, was an excellent show, and it seemed that everyone on DS so far enjoyed it! (And that doesnt happen very often at all!) But i still have no idea what sort of rating it will get?!? It has the advantage of going in the Monday Night slot which has rated EXCELLENTLY over the last couple of weeks/months, But the trailers were dire and may have put people off. I'm pretty sure it will get over 5m, but i'm not so sure about 6m . . .

I've got a feeling it will do well. It was up against WDYTYA and Heroes but LaO probably has a large following from the US episodes and will have wanted to watch this one, also it is the first episode and many people probably watched it to give it a chance.

I'm expecting about 7 million but you never know what can happen

I'd say some where in the low 6m range for L&O UK.

So what's happened to the final Total Wipeout?