Wouldn't they return "Still Open All Hours" to its original air slot on Sundays. I think it will lead in "Strictly Come Dancing" results show somehow and have "Countryfile" leading it in.

Im a bit surprised they have commisioned a whole series on the back of quite a lightweight script at Christmas. 12 million viewers are not to be sneezed at but is it likely to be at half of that by episode 6. I guess still a success in terms of other shows though if it can retain 6 million when compared to "Big School" "Vicious"

Still Open All Hours is an old fashioned family sitcom and would look totally out of place at 9pm! I agree with you, airing it on Sundays, perhaps after SCD, would do the show better justice. Perhaps this for Autumn Sundays:

6.20 Countryfile
7.20 SCD
8.00 SOAH
8.30 Antiques Roadshow
9.30 Mrs. Browns Boys (rpt)

Would hold up well against XF and would be respectably against DA.

Could BBC1 go with something like this?

17:45 Countryfile
18:45 Still Open All Hours
19:15 Strictly Come Dancing
20:00 Antiques Roadshow

Ah wizzywick you beat me to it!

Next season is ITV's football swansong. I think with the rights being unavailable again until 2018, ITV could decide to put on dramas like Midsomer Murders or film premieres as a viable alternative to dreary Holby on BBC One. Also after the dire ratings for Swansea last week, would they be interested in the Europa League again?
The other side of the coin is when BBC One get the FA Cup back. I'm sure a plum football fixture followed by the 6 Nations would be a surefire winner on Saturdays.

I dont know about them placing it against "The X Factor" its a mighty show on a Sunday. I will be interested to see how well "Still Open All Hours" bears up against an ordinary schedule and the novelty factor taken out of its airing. "Birds Of A Feather" was successful and held a good sized audience throughout, "Still Open All Hours" could do the same. More sense in the BBC if they cut 10 mins of filler of the "Strictly Come Dancing" results and paired it with "Still Open All Hours" after "Countryfile"

Itv may need to go for American crime dramas for Tuesday nights. Nothing niche, too cool, dark or techy. But a simple CSI type of crime show with standalone episodes may do alright for them for 13 weeks on Tuesdays at 9pm [must appeal to OAP audience though]. I dont think they could afford to air an expensive British drama on tuesday nights, the ratings would be down for them on that night.

It does seem ITV is at its strongest in the autumn and weakest in the summer and winter.

I don't reckon it will get the dizzy heights of the Boxing Day rating again, but as you say, it should be on par with BoaF. It could do surprisingly well against XF, but thinking on it, I think you've convinced me that it won't be put out against it.

Glenn A- In the summer of 2015, Tuesday nights on Itv could be:

20:00- Love Your Garden [13 episodes rating at 3-3.5m]
21:00- CSI/NCIS type simple American crime drama [13 episodes, potential rating at 3m]

The crime drama must appeal to OAPs though in order to get 3m. It cannot be a 'The Americans' type of cool, dark, edgy, quirky drama. Must be more of a NCIS/CSI simple-to-follow type of show to work here.

Open All Hours' timeslot in the 80's was 19:15 on Sunday nights. Knowing the BBC, I wouldn't be surprised if it was put on at 9pm on a Wednesday or something.

There will only be one week where the Six Nations and FA Cup are in the same week next year, with England v Italy and Ireland v France on Saturday at 2.30/5pm and Scotland v Wales at 3pm on the Sunday. I would see at least one of those games, if not two, having to move to BBC2. Next years tournament kicks off with Wales v England on a Friday night.

They would have very different audiences but a show that is going against Cowell will end up being more PSB I would think.

Maybe BBC One can show Open All Hours at 8.30pm on Thursdays. A tricky slot for BBC One, but it could pull in a good audience and provide a strong lead-in for 9pm. BBC One could show Pound Shop Wars at 8pm against Emmerdale.

^^My preferred schedule, but maybe 5 minutes later for the top three shows. Or...

6.00 Countryfile
7.00 Open All Hours
7.30 Strictly
8.00 Antiques Roadshow
9.00 The Village**

and cut some of the padding out of the Strictly results show.

Or cut Roadshow by 10 minutes.

7.30 Strictly
8.10 Antiques Roadshow
9.00 The Village

although ITV might have something to say about Strictly's finish time here.


**The Village is my prediction to run against Downton. There's an article about the indie Red Planet Pictures in this week's Broadcast (who have some very interesting commissions for primetime BBC1 in the pipeline) and in it Tony Jordan says he knew the writing was on the wall for By Any Means when BBC1 scheduled it against Downton. This ties in with what I keep saying - that BAM was scheduled opposite Downton because the BBC didn't like it and wanted to burn it off. They may feel the same way about The Village given the way that the dreary programme collapsed in the ratings last year.

It will go on Sunday nights. Its where it used to be so there will be plenty room for it I would say given a bit of reshuffling of "Countryfile" and "Strictly Come Dancing" in fact im not sure why "Countryfile" shouldn't go against "The X Factor" as its unstoppable!

If it goes on Sunday nights, this is how I'd schedule it:

18:20- Countryfile
19:20- Strictly Come Dancing
20:00- The Great British Bake Off
21:00- Still Open All Hours
21:30- Everybody Loves Raymond remake / another sitcom

This would be a very strong lineup. Yes i know Downton would beat SOAH, but BBC One would win the primetime shares vs. Itv with this lineup. Completely transforming the Q4 Sunday nights in bbc1's favour. GBBO would be capable of 7m against XF, SOAH 5-6m against DA. If there's just one thing I hope BBC One does scheduling-wise this year, it would be GBBO on Sunday nights at 8pm this Autumn. That's the only thing. The risk would pay off.

Well, they might as well just stick Open All Hours on at 2 o'clock in the morning with that ridiculous schedule. And that's too risky a slot for GBBO. They can't have it rating lower on BBC1 than it did on BBC2. Also, they don't know how X Factor will perform this year with Cowell returning and possibly Cheryl Cole too.

And the Everyone Loves Raymond remake has been shelved (sadly - still seeing sitcom being seriously under-represented on BBC1).

Yeah I know its a great show but it wouldn't do it any favours going against itvs most popular autumn entertainment programme. They are unlikely to tinker with its scheduling and to be honest I think "The Great British Bake Off" would suffer at the hands of "The X Factor" and Simon Cowell being back to rejuvinate its fortunes. It is a superb show though and I hope it goes from strength to strength on BBC one.

It would be quite embarrassing if GBBO rated higher on BBC Two than BBC One, whatever the circumstances.

I think Bake off will remain at 8pm Tuesdays with Holby moving to Wednesday as the lead in to The Apprentice. Waterloo Road perhaps moving to Friday night after the EastEnders omnibus!!!!

Just in time to catch Waterloo Road's target audience of teenagers coming home from the pub.

edit: 8pm Wednesday might be okay for Bake-Off if ITV are still screening their fluffy LE shows in that slot (All Star Mr And Mrs, Big Star's Little Stars).

I'm not sure BBC would want to burn off The Village, it may not have done that well ratings-wise but I think it's a project they're committed too, why start something like this just to drop it two series in. Putting it against Downton could be an option though, and say if it can settle between 4-5m in officials then keep putting it against Downton. Anyway, I hope it can do decently wherever it goes, I really liked it despite its grimness.

Ice is getting beaten evey week, Morning is getting beaten almost every, erm, morning, and now Cube is back with a very weak figure against a Pointless repeat.

Or Bake Off could move to Wednesday at 8pm to take advantage of the Coronation Street cross-over and The Apprentice lead out with Holby City staying in the easier slot on Tuesday (as Bake Off is the stronger show).

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