If C5 were to bring back any of their reality try-outs, it would have to be The Mole for me. Sure it relaunched awfully in Australia but they used a different 30m format each night. The Mole hasn't been tried for years here, since 05, and it provides a different sort of reality to all the BB/CBB fare. Tuesdays at 10pm once a week after new CSI, I think it could do well.

Not sure that is factually correct. Isn't BB & CBB on more weeks of the year than it was on Channel 4?

Also aren't the fanzine shows more prominent because they air on the main channel?

Whatever people's views on its merit, Celebrity Big Brother is certainly not cheap in financial terms, especially for Channel 5. It brings in big returns however.

Well yesterday afternoon's schedule was absolute barrel scraping. Who really wants to watch clapped out episodes of Diagnosis Murder, which wasn't much kop when it was new? I'd sooner they stuck to films and was surprised when Sky's rights to the Bond films, they didn't make a move.
Channel 5 is better than ITV at times, but yesterday afternoon was like daytime on Border 20 years ago, imported rubbish for the elderly.

No, that is not correct. BB was condensed to fit in the summer series of CBB.

This series of Celebrity Big Brother has a good mix of personalities. It's generating stories and getting column inches in the non Desmond papers. Media wise it is generating buzz like some of the Channel 4 series.

I wish CSI, The Mentalist or Person Of Interest were around now to capitalize on it.

Given nobody is spending any money at all on Saturday daytime (ITV was all repeats and like Five those repeats included Columbo, C4 was all repeats apart from racing) I'm not sure why Five would be any different.

They used to show films on Saturday afternoons but they weren't getting a big enough share of the audience so they are trying something different. Arguably this isn't working yet either but it's only been two weeks. Mr and Mrs Murder was awful though, I'll give you that. You would have hated it because it had people from Home & Away in it.

Dunno about Diagnosis Murder but a feature-length Columbo got over half a million and 4.8% on the afternoon of Thursday 2 January, one of Channel 5's best shares of the day. These shows must be incredibly cheap and weekend afternoons are hardly a priority for commercial channels.

Thank goodness for BBC One's almost all-new schedule yesterday. Different story today, but at least the daytime drama Moving On gets a repeat, along with the doc Real Lives Reunited, in amongst the perennial Bargain Hunt and Escape to the Country.

There is no market for anything on weekend afternoons besides live sport. Whether or not it is a brand new live show or a repeat of Murder She Wrote, the rating would be practically the same at 2pm on a Saturday.

I wouldn't actually know who was in Home and Away now, but it sounded like a bad rehash of those husband and wife murder mysteries from the seventies. This really was quite a lame schedule and I think Channel 5 missed a big opportunity with the Bond rights.
However, on balance Channel 5 does a reasonable job on a limited budget. Their factual, films and imports in the main are good and CBB is a big hit for them. Luckily their flirtation with reality shows built around zelebs like Amy Childs didn't last long and the station avoided becoming like ITV 2.

Love the way ITV started the night with Ice Age: Meltdown

Because their ratings certainly went into meltdown, and the schedule was a barren frozen wasteland for viewers!

During Christmas, film repeats on both BBC1 and ITV achieved up to 2-3m during the afternoons. During winter weekends it is easy to assume, that, with right schedules and movies there most certainly would be a market for afternoon programming. Trouble is TV channels don't give us that opportunity!

What about them having a punt on Whodunnit, it was a bit of sleeper cult hit in the states, would surely be fairly cheap to produce, and I'm sure some people might be willing to give it a shot?

I also have to say well done to The Voice last night, within a whisker of series 1's launch and that is a miracle considering the negativity that surrounds the show-Good decision bythe Beeb to sort it, and it looks like Charlotte Moore is doing well, revamping Eastenders and TV back from the brink-Good Job!

I'm sure if Channel 5 were showing a Bond film, it could get a million and would be demographically better than something like Diagnosis Murder, which probably only appeals to a handful of elderly viewers. Also football can't be shown live on Saturday afternoons, which would boost an action film aimed more at younger men.
However, pleased to hear ITV have the rights back and would love them to run a season again on a weekend.

Ouch. Oscar Wilde you are most definitely not!

Still there's an opening with the Daily Star TV editorial team...

"Reflex" a bit of a Light Entertainment disaster. They need to swap that next week with "Dynamo" which was much more entertaining. Im not sure how some of these shows get on air.

"Disaster" is a bit strong. 17% is disappointing but still won the slot with ease. Let's see how it holds up (or not) from here.

Reflex will stay where it is. It didn't drag the evening down in the way Don't Scare The Hare and Richard Hammonds Secret Service did. It is easy teatime filler and if it remains around where it is then it will just pass by unspectacularly and also won't be rememebered as a disaster.

Soccer Saturday or failing that Final Score tends to be the preferred choice. And if they aren't watching either of those they probably haven't got the TV on full stop.

The Bond rights are a big deal I agree, but ITV wanted them more.

I'm looking forward to my Bond fix, and think these would be ideal for Satirday or Sunday afternoons. Bond, like Star Trek, has this devoted cult following and Channel 5 missed a sitter with this one.
Also, do you think Channel 5 have done a good job with BB/CBB? I think the less is more( in terms of hours shown) approach seems to be working and changing the presenters seems to have worked. Remember, it's Channel 5's IAC and pays for the Eddie Stobart and cop stuff I enjoy so much.

Just saw a trailer for Father Brown which reminds me how's that been doing ratings wise?

Same as 1st series, somone posted on previous thread.

It really rates well.

Yes, of course. The fact it's been on the front page of a newspaper not owned by Desmond for two consecutive days now kind of proves that.

My only criticisms would be:
*not enough substantial programming in and around CBB to take advantage of much higher than usual audiences at 9pm;
*ad placing in and around CBB could be stronger to point those viewers in the direction of other relevant programming of substance on the network;
*they need to be pushing 5USA and 5* more out of CBB, and 5 Later should be on air by now to strengthen their multichannel offerings generally;
*there should have been more noise on air in and around the launch itself.

So plenty they can build upon to maximise their success. But overall very pleasing, and with both CBB and BB trending upwards, every reason to think they can continue for some years yet and play a key role for C5.

Just in case anyone was wondering when Who Dares Wins last did better than last night, Hassaan (formerly of this parish) can tell us:



There was one rating given for it here.

I agree. But it's higher than anything from last january so they just have to see how it goes.

I personally liked it and I don't think it deserved the over reaction it got. I hope it holds up. Hasn't got far to fall though.