Nick Knowles as Strictly presenter? Can't see it personally but then I have to remember he did have a comic/sarcastic edge on DIY: SOS; he's dry on the quiz shows but that's because nothing else is required.

The share for the soaps are healthy enough. The year-on-year comparisons for all the shows are slightly redundant considering it was a cold April away from the Easter holidays last year so shows should have been higher then.

MasterChef is a consistent performer for BBC One but Big Star, Little Star and Law and Order: UK did alright for ITV. Monkey Planet isn't setting the ratings board alight; natural history shows seem to be a bit hit and miss for BBC One now - maybe they should all be aired under a 'Blue Planet' brand. Sometimes brands can hurt (I'm sure 'Don't Cap My Benefits' would have done well if it had been simply titled 'Panorama') but sometimes they can help.

BBC Two, Channel 4 and Channel 5 had steady but unspectacular nights but the woeful record of the evening goes to Party House... what a start!

So we should be expecting somewhere in the region of 25m+ tuning into EastEnders on Monday.

If they really are putting this much effort in, then it is sure to boost ratings. If it doesn't rise at least 1millon from this then it will be a waste of time. You keep saying with every big announcement the ratings will rise the following week, they don't, then you make an excuse saying viewers are watching on I player when they have been for years). If I were you I would just let the ratings do what they need too, don't keep predicting they will rise and then make an excuse when they don't.

I'm not having a go at you btw

Well, TBH, Knowles is bland too, but I don't know whether these big shows really need a presenter full of personality. The judges and contestants tend to show that.

It should be looking at 6m+ in that Tuesday slot. If you can predict Prey to get that against 3million on BBC1, then surely Happy Valley can get 6m against 2.5m in ITV.

Oh I agree that he is bland too - also dont see much chemistry with him and Tess to be honest.

Ive seen the Prey promo too and wasnt too enthused by it either. It is quite 'edgy', too much action in it and also it has "guerilla filming". That is usually a big no-no for the heartland Itv audience. Also one critic [Alison Graham] describes it as very "un-Itv". My prediction is Prey will begin with 6.5million due to the heavy promotional campaign but it will drop much sharper in the ratings the following two weeks than their other recent crime based dramas. I dont think the Itv heartland audience will take to it too much, it is too "actiony" and the filming effects it has is unorthodox and non-mainstream.

Ant & Dec host Britain's Got Talent. Claudia and Tess may not be a double act but its the same principle. They shouldn't go for a tick box exercise, but what pairing is best for the show, and that pairing is Claudia and Tess.

And small minded 19th century views. Even you know Nick Knowles is an awful choice if they insist on not going for Claudia (and worth remembering another paper has reported that as being a done deal) - but I'm sure as ever you'll tell us how brilliant he is and give us all sorts of reasons why the BBC are making the right choice - and then drop him like a stone when he's axed at the end of the series and tell us how BBC are making the right choice blahdy blahdy blah.

If the BBC do pass on Claudia she might be a good bet for Rising Star as she'd have every reason to jump ship given the opportunity.

Absolutely, although I'm not convinced Tess is as good at Anchoring a show like Bruce was, but its very safe, at least during this transition period (Where Bruce is doing the prerecords) and the viewers are used to it so it's not going to alienate fans of the show and Claudia is fab in the Tess Pit-Its flipping obvious and if the BBC don't at least try it then I hope its royally backfires on them, I mean Nick 'cardboard' Knowles, Really?!!?

I don't watch Strictly, but out of curiosity do many fans of the show actually like Tess 'dead behind the eyes' Daly?

Nick Knowles would be such a turn off for so many people.

She does a better job due to what Strictly is - cringeworthy fluff. Almost everyone used to give out about Bruce - now the same people will probably be longing for the 'good old days' Tess and Claudia would be a zero risk choice for the BBC.

Notwithstanding this article, Nick Knowles is still freely available at 4/1 at 2 of the 3 bookies who have prices quoted on the OddsChecker site.

http://www.oddschecker.com/tv/strict...orsyth-as-host

He was 5/1 about an hour ago so has been backed a bit with both Paddy Power and William Hill but nothing like what Ladbrokes appear to have experienced!

Claudia is 4/11 and 1/3 at the moment, with Graham Norton available between 2/1 and 4/1. John Barrowman is also quoted at 4/1.

What utterly dreadful odds.

Unless somebody knows something we don't, of course.

Knowing the BBC they'll have Tess front of house, Norton upstairs...all out disaster

Strictly Come Dancing is the most popular entertainment show on television [series average for 2013]. So the BBC know what theyre doing, they wont mess this up.

Nick Knowles. Admittedly a housewife favourite, but still...his presentation style would be utterly at odds with SCD.

It seems a strange tactic to launch a promotional blitz for Eastenders after the main event has occured. Surely casual and infrequent viewers would tune in to see an exciting/important event episode not several days after it. Unfortunately Eastenders has timed the event episode terribly and as such it could well be playing out to a low 6millions overnight rating. Then with Premier League on Monday and Champions League on Tuesday, not much chance of an aftermath boost either. The worst of it is, that thanks to their mucking around with the BBC3 episode over the last few weeks they've lost even more viewers from that showing now.

Part of the reason "EastEnders" went below the media radar is because it did seem starved of promotion. It had enjoyed the luxury of previous campaigns when BBC promotions obviously had more money before the licence fee freeze.
It makes sense to readvertise the programme when its been short on promotional attention for some time. You can see Dominic Treadwell Collins wanted more publicity as soon as he stepped in as Executive Producer of the show. The Radio Times cover of new landlords Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright was really down to him and his new take on the direction of impact the programme probably should be making.

There must be some money available to improve a product otherwise its very difficult to get noticed in such a noisy busy television world. Very interesting to hear Tom Baker comment on how easy it was for his "Doctor Who" years to be so loved because television was such a bonding medium in the mid seventies. Its much harder for programmes now. But "EastEnders" needed some money spent on it as many episodes that Newman had to produce seemed like they were done with as little actors as they could get away with and probably damaged the storytelling and script pace.

No genre is a sure fire ratings winner, especially when it's as dismal as Party House. Quite outrageously bad and it makes sense why it sat on the shelf for so long.

Yes, of course 28,000 is a poor number in anyone's book. But it's fairly obvious now that Sky don't care about the 'headline' overnight numbers - they wouldn't offer so many previews, repeats showings and catch-up opportunities (and now simulcasts) if they did.

But if half of those 28,000 die hard viewers only subscribed to Sky in order to see Mad Men then it has done it's job - even at £20 a month that would bring in £4m a year.

By all accounts the 'main event' is the story that follows Lucy's death not the death itself. That's what all the focus and discussion from the producers has been on so I can see why they're marketing it as such.

I feel obliged to pass on the sad news that Mark Wright's Party Wright Around the World has been axed by ITV2 after one series. This follows the cancellation of his equally successful shows Hollywood Nights,The Gossip and My Man Can. An ''insider'' said with amazing perception ''He needs to find a show that works for him soon otherwise bosses may look elsewhere.'' A nation mourns.

- The Sun

Claudia is marmite and too much of a risk. Her mumbling act will get tedious after a few shows. I wouldn't mind Knowles.

?? The story is not about Lucy but the people left behind its about her family and the community... Her death is the inciting incident that will ignite the drama and that's what people will be watching...

Remember twin peaks? Laura palmer barely even featured in it! It was all about what happened after her death