Originally Posted by Salv*:
“Thank you. High +1 there!
2.34m incl +1 then. Should be 2.5m+ again tonight.”
“Thank you. High +1 there!
2.34m incl +1 then. Should be 2.5m+ again tonight.”
Pretty good considering the competition
The Ratings Thread (Part 57)
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Originally Posted by newkid30:
“I have never heard of any of those apart from On the Buses
”
“I have never heard of any of those apart from On the Buses
”
well you are a 'new kid' and I watch a LOT of tv
plus I also own Radio Times Book of Comedy, which lists lots of shows from early days of tv up to mid 90's
Originally Posted by kwynne42:
“Salv will have your guts for garters you beat him to the +1 question.”
“Salv will have your guts for garters you beat him to the +1 question.”
Naa, I like the poster jackc1806, I'll let them off
Originally Posted by newkid30:
“I have never heard of any of those apart from On the Buses”
“I have never heard of any of those apart from On the Buses
”
Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.
Originally Posted by cylon6:
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.”
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.”
I knew I'd missed a few off my previous list, also The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter), Girls on Top, Chance in a Million etc etc
G&M only really ended because Yootha Joyce died
on a semi related topic, why did British sitcom move away from the 20+ episodes of The Army Game to the now traditional 6 episode format
Even during the 70's sitcoms used to have a high(ish) number of episodes per series.
Surely there should be a happy medium between the US template of 18-24 episodes and the current 6 model we're all used to.
Even during the 70's sitcoms used to have a high(ish) number of episodes per series.
Surely there should be a happy medium between the US template of 18-24 episodes and the current 6 model we're all used to.
Originally Posted by cylon6:
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.”
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.”
Originally Posted by Mike Teevee:
“I knew I'd missed a few off my previous list, also The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter), Girls on Top, Chance in a Million etc etc
G&M only really ended because Yootha Joyce died”
“I knew I'd missed a few off my previous list, also The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter), Girls on Top, Chance in a Million etc etc
G&M only really ended because Yootha Joyce died”
You can add Watching and Barbara, Barbara is criminally underrated in my opinion. I think Barbara was ITV's last "hit" sitcom and that was almost 15 years ago.
Originally Posted by cylon6:
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.”
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day. 16/17/18m some weeks and was absolutely massive.
Man About The House and spin offs George & Mildred and Robin's Nest, Please Sir, LETs Doctor.... series of sitcoms (which used multiple writers to make 20+ episodes a series), Me & My Girl, Shelley, Agony, The Upper Hand, Shelley, Only When I Laugh.
ITV had a ridiculous number of popular sitcoms back then.”
Don't forget though how rubbish BBC1's schedules were for most of the week and most of the year, and how the 9pm News killed off BBC1's chances of competing across the piece.
Most ITV sitcoms were bilge, churned out from a cliched sitcom sausage machine, and kept getting recommissioned because 14m+ were watching. They weren't watching because these were good, classic, revered sitcoms, but simply because they were on ITV, the one of the 3 channels available that you could rely on to leave on all night without having to get up off the sofa and walk across the room to press the BBC1 button on the set.
I always felt there was an inverse quality<>ratings ratio with ITV comedy. Tripe like Fresh Fields or The Upper Hand used to get long runs and 14m viewers simply because they were on after Corrie and BBC1 was airing something dismal. Yet really good, funny, critically acclaimed ITV comedy like Watching or Outside Edge or The New Statesman used to get 8-9m (considered disappointing then).
Although I personally loved Duty Free, which could get 14-17m at its peak, I was only about 7 and that was a very divisive comedy - folked either loved it or hated it with an absolute passion. Mum would leave the room when dad put it on.
I don't think ITV ever produced anything that consistently hit the 20m big league like BBC1 regularly managed for OFAH, One Foot, Bread, Some Mothers etc. Or which was anything like as revered. When the nation voted on the best sitcom ever, nothing from ITV (as I recall) made the top 20. (correct me if i'm wrong)
Everyone harps on about Rising Damp, but I don't know why. It was miserable and grim and not particularly funny. Had Leonard Rossiter not been in it, or had folk not needed to make entertainment through doing "Miss Jonessssss, Misss Jonessss" impressions, then I doubt it would be so fondly remembered. I don't think it actually rated that spectacularly anyway.
Originally Posted by lewiep93:
“You can add Watching and Barbara, Barbara is criminally underrated in my opinion. I think Barbara was ITV's last "hit" sitcom and that was almost 15 years ago.”
“You can add Watching and Barbara, Barbara is criminally underrated in my opinion. I think Barbara was ITV's last "hit" sitcom and that was almost 15 years ago.”
I mentioned Watching before, that was IMO ITV's last great sitcom (even had a good cliffhanger between series).
I never got into Barbara, possibly due to missing it on Sunday's. At a stretch Surgical Spirit and Second Thoughts were the only other good sitcoms from ITV in 90's.
2.5 Million seems a bit on the low side for The Undateables but still....brilliant figure.
Its been a great week for Channel 4
Its been a great week for Channel 4
Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Don't forget though how rubbish BBC1's schedules were for most of the week and most of the year, and how the 9pm News killed off BBC1's chances of competing across the piece.
Most ITV sitcoms were bilge, churned out from a cliched sitcom sausage machine, and kept getting recommissioned because 14m+ were watching. They weren't watching because these were good, classic, revered sitcoms, but simply because they were on ITV, the one of the 3 channels available that you could rely on to leave on all night without having to get up off the sofa and walk across the room to press the BBC1 button on the set.
I always felt there was an inverse quality<>ratings ratio with ITV comedy. Tripe like Fresh Fields or The Upper Hand used to get long runs and 14m viewers simply because they were on after Corrie and BBC1 was airing something dismal. Yet really good, funny, critically acclaimed ITV comedy like Watching or Outside Edge or The New Statesman used to get 8-9m (considered disappointing then).
Although I personally loved Duty Free, which could get 14-17m at its peak, I was only about 7 and that was a very divisive comedy - folked either loved it or hated it with an absolute passion. Mum would leave the room when dad put it on.
I don't think ITV ever produced anything that consistently hit the 20m big league like BBC1 regularly managed for OFAH, One Foot, Bread, Some Mothers etc. Or which was anything like as revered. When the nation voted on the best sitcom ever, nothing from ITV (as I recall) made the top 20. (correct me if i'm wrong)
Everyone harps on about Rising Damp, but I don't know why. It was miserable and grim and not particularly funny. Had Leonard Rossiter not been in it, or had folk not needed to make entertainment through doing "Miss Jonessssss, Misss Jonessss" impressions, then I doubt it would be so fondly remembered. I don't think it actually rated that spectacularly anyway.”
“Don't forget though how rubbish BBC1's schedules were for most of the week and most of the year, and how the 9pm News killed off BBC1's chances of competing across the piece.
Most ITV sitcoms were bilge, churned out from a cliched sitcom sausage machine, and kept getting recommissioned because 14m+ were watching. They weren't watching because these were good, classic, revered sitcoms, but simply because they were on ITV, the one of the 3 channels available that you could rely on to leave on all night without having to get up off the sofa and walk across the room to press the BBC1 button on the set.
I always felt there was an inverse quality<>ratings ratio with ITV comedy. Tripe like Fresh Fields or The Upper Hand used to get long runs and 14m viewers simply because they were on after Corrie and BBC1 was airing something dismal. Yet really good, funny, critically acclaimed ITV comedy like Watching or Outside Edge or The New Statesman used to get 8-9m (considered disappointing then).
Although I personally loved Duty Free, which could get 14-17m at its peak, I was only about 7 and that was a very divisive comedy - folked either loved it or hated it with an absolute passion. Mum would leave the room when dad put it on.
I don't think ITV ever produced anything that consistently hit the 20m big league like BBC1 regularly managed for OFAH, One Foot, Bread, Some Mothers etc. Or which was anything like as revered. When the nation voted on the best sitcom ever, nothing from ITV (as I recall) made the top 20. (correct me if i'm wrong)
Everyone harps on about Rising Damp, but I don't know why. It was miserable and grim and not particularly funny. Had Leonard Rossiter not been in it, or had folk not needed to make entertainment through doing "Miss Jonessssss, Misss Jonessss" impressions, then I doubt it would be so fondly remembered. I don't think it actually rated that spectacularly anyway.”
you're memory's playing tricks on you Robbie
Watching used to get 12m viewers for ITV and was very much acclaimed at its time. Outside Edge used to rate around 10m for Mondays erm after Coronation Street.
Man About The House, Doctor series, Agony and On The Buses are considered classics, but terribly dated. You can even include the racial dubious but very popular Love Thy Neighbour into the mix.
Also I think Rising Damp made the top 20 list from the best sitcom show that was BBC2 years back.
Originally Posted by cylon6:
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day.”
“Duty Free was the Benidorm of its day.”
An alternative perspective is that Benidorm is simply an attempt at polishing off and harking back to the halcion days of Duty Free - but in "modern" fashion, ie, comedy drama, little classic humour, reliance on grotesques rather than jokes, an hour in length, no studio audience...
Originally Posted by Mike Teevee:
“The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter)”
“The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter)”
In fairness, he was playing Rodney Trotter in both of those too.
They must have paid him a pretty penny, and his agent was probably saying "this will avoid you being typecast as that plonker from Peckham" - but he always plays Rodney Trotter. (though I haven't seen him in New Tricks - I haven't yet seen New Tricks full stop....!)
Still think there was a bit of ITV thinking "get Nick Lyndhurst in anything so he can't do more OFAH, and see if we can get David Jason too - oh, we have - perfick..."
Originally Posted by Mike Teevee:
“you're memory's playing tricks on you Robbie
Watching used to get 12m viewers for ITV and was very much acclaimed at its time. Outside Edge used to rate around 10m for Mondays erm after Coronation Street.
Man About The House, Doctor series, Agony and On The Buses are considered classics, but terribly dated. You can even include the racial dubious but very popular Love Thy Neighbour into the mix.
Also I think Rising Damp made the top 20 list from the best sitcom show that was BBC2 years back.”
“you're memory's playing tricks on you Robbie
Watching used to get 12m viewers for ITV and was very much acclaimed at its time. Outside Edge used to rate around 10m for Mondays erm after Coronation Street.
Man About The House, Doctor series, Agony and On The Buses are considered classics, but terribly dated. You can even include the racial dubious but very popular Love Thy Neighbour into the mix.
Also I think Rising Damp made the top 20 list from the best sitcom show that was BBC2 years back.”
Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?
Originally Posted by Mike Teevee:
“I knew I'd missed a few off my previous list, also The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter), Girls on Top, Chance in a Million etc etc
G&M only really ended because Yootha Joyce died”
“I knew I'd missed a few off my previous list, also The Two of Us and The Piglet Files (proving Nicholas Lyndhurst could do something other than Rodney Trotter), Girls on Top, Chance in a Million etc etc
G&M only really ended because Yootha Joyce died”
One of the big strengths of regional ITV back then was they all had their own commissioners so several regions produced lots of hits.
Thames had Johnnie Mortimer & Brian Cooke who did Father Dear Father, Man About The House and its spin offs. They were ITV's Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
Yorkshire had Eric Chappell who wrote ITV's greatest sitcom in Rising Damp as well as Only When I Laugh and the blockbuster Duty Free.
Granada turned out hits too like The Army Game, The Dustbinmen one of the only programmes to debut at number 1 and stay there for its whole series, Watching, The Cuckoo Waltz, Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt!
LWT also turned out several hits like the Doctor sitcoms, On The Buses, Agony, Please Sir, Agony, Me & My Girl.
So many sitcoms from so many regions.
It's been a very good start of the year form Channel 4, very impressive! Also a great week for Ch5 after a not very bright Christmas period.
Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Still think there was a bit of ITV thinking "get Nick Lyndhurst in anything so he can't do more OFAH, and see if we can get David Jason too - oh, we have - perfick..."”
“Still think there was a bit of ITV thinking "get Nick Lyndhurst in anything so he can't do more OFAH, and see if we can get David Jason too - oh, we have - perfick..."”
David Jason did stuff for ITV before Darling Buds
Wind in the Willows
Dangermouse
A Bit of Do
it's not like he didn't split his time between the broadcasters
Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?”
“Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?”
Watching was on Fridays at 8pm, bar a series I remember being on Saturday. I of course concede my memory might not be 100% accurate (even at 37)
Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?”
“Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?”
Watching started on Sunday night's at 10pm then moved to Fridays at 8pm where it became massive. Well over 16m during this period then it moved to Sundays and was still massive there.
Originally Posted by GoshBagosh:
“2.5 Million seems a bit on the low side for The Undateables but still....brilliant figure.
Its been a great week for Channel 4”
“2.5 Million seems a bit on the low side for The Undateables but still....brilliant figure.
Its been a great week for Channel 4
”
Well The Undateables started with its lowest rating ever, The Taste is an instant flop and Benefits Street is the most hated show in Britain. What's made it a great week exactly?
Originally Posted by RobbieSykes123:
“Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?”
“Well, yes, I think Watching did get 13m from time to time in certain slots, but it was often on Sundays at 7.15 and got no more than 8m or so. Someone posted a scan of an 80s ratings report before Xmas and it had something like 8m-odd in that.
Outside Edge aired on Thursdays IIRC and never got more than 7-8m?”
looks like we both might be right, these are the only ratings I have
Code:
Period_From Period_To Programme_Name Programme_Provider Value 15/02/1993 21/02/1993 Watching Granada 12.74 22/02/1993 28/02/1993 Watching Granada 12.63 01/03/1993 07/03/1993 Watching Granada 12.59 08/03/1993 14/03/1993 Watching Granada 12.16 15/03/1993 21/03/1993 Watching Granada 12.71 22/03/1993 28/03/1993 Watching Granada 12.79 29/03/1993 04/04/1993 Watching Granada 13.46 28/06/1993 04/07/1993 Watching Granada 7.92 13/12/1993 19/12/1993 Watching Special Granada 9.67 18/07/1994 24/07/1994 Watching Granada 7.23 25/07/1994 31/07/1994 Watching Granada 7.54 01/08/1994 07/08/1994 Watching Granada 7.41 08/08/1994 14/08/1994 Watching Granada 7.6 15/08/1994 21/08/1994 Watching Granada 7.75 22/08/1994 28/08/1994 Watching Granada 8.92
Originally Posted by cylon6:
“Atching started on Sunday night's at 10pm then moved to Fridays at 8pm where it became massive. Well over 16m during this period then it moved to Sundays and was still massive there.”
“Atching started on Sunday night's at 10pm then moved to Fridays at 8pm where it became massive. Well over 16m during this period then it moved to Sundays and was still massive there.”
my addled brain was just a bit off then
A great rating for CBB yet again, this series is turning out to be the best yet on Channel 5 for obvious reasons.
Originally Posted by newkid30:
“I have never heard of any of those apart from On the Buses”
“I have never heard of any of those apart from On the Buses
”
I have a TAM top 20 for the week ending November 25, 1962, which features the following sitcoms and their positions. The viewing figures are the number of homes viewing, not individuals, so roughly multiply by three
6. Bootsie and Snudge Granada 6.471 million
18. Here's Harry (Harry Worth) BBC 5.372 m
19. Citizen James (Sid James) BBC 5.250 m
Bootsie and Snudge was a spin-off from the aforementioned Army Game
Top-rated programme was the Monday Coronation Street seen in 8.424 m homes (it was only on twice a week in those days)
TAM was the ratings organisation in those days
Originally Posted by SamuelW:
“BOAF fell a million viewers yesterday. Expect further ratings erosion over the next few weeks after the bad feedback yesterdays episode got. It's heading downhill. A good pass by the BBC, they were smelling a turkey with this one.”
“BOAF fell a million viewers yesterday. Expect further ratings erosion over the next few weeks after the bad feedback yesterdays episode got. It's heading downhill. A good pass by the BBC, they were smelling a turkey with this one.”
Silent Witness fell a million viewers yesterday also? Where is your negative spin on this? Outside of soaps, BOAF was the highest rated programme of the day. I'm sure ITV are crying and axing it already
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