So 8m I would say is the ultimate target. Anything below would be very underwhelming, given that they're promoting it everywhere.

Hopefully it will launch with around 2 million.
I remember when The Mill launched with near 3 million, people were shocked on here... and it held up very well over its run. and Homeland is a decent performer too in that slot.

So it should open well at least. Its getting rave reviews so I'll definitly be tuning in

I think The Crimson Field will be down tonight to around 5.1m, and Endeavour will rise to 5.3m up 200k on last week. Final episode of dramas usually get a boost.

Not sure that the Channel 5 rerun of the Christmas 'Sound of Music Live' broadcast from the USA will do as well as there.

(Though I guess if it did Channel 5 would have to get about 1000% of the possible audience)

It is good to watch and a lot of the cast are good, but the choice of Marie is a bit dull and compares very poorly with Connie Fisher in the UK stage version.

Indeed, it may well have got to the stage where American Dad repeats do better than Eastenders now. They've completely ruined the scheduling of BBC3 Eastenders and lost even more viewers from it in the last couple of months. A sign of the times when last week going over 500k was celebrated as its highest rating in 6 weeks.

Sorry for going on about it, but the issue really annoys me.

Although I agree in theory the soap repeatrs fit ITV3 better than ITV2 I don't think ITV3 can afford to give them a nightly 10.30/11pm slot - they've got better things to schedule there which will pull in more viewers and can get away with beginning a two hour drama at 10pm rather than packing off viewers for the night by switching to soap repeats. If anything airing them between 6-7pm would be the better option.

Although not unsurprisinging thanks to on-demand and more quick turn around repeats that omnibuses aren't as important as they once were considering the trend for binge boxset viewing I'd say there is probably still an audience for them - indeed arguably premiering the episodes omnibus style might be the way to go.

So bad it's bad. I couldn't watch.

Now I can see why Five didn't even bother promoting this. A trailer would have flagged it up as one to avoid straight away.

Soaps don't repeat well which is probably why we rarely see them broadcast outside of. Anniversaries. I think ITV3 have it right with its mix of current repeats and older shows. I think maybe adding new imports, not necessarily subtitled drama but something like Rectify which airs on Sundance in the US or an Australian drama series like I imagine its unlikely but it would be good to see original programming that isn't documentaries about dramas.

I think that itv should look for more classic drama from the 60s. I can remember not being able to sleep at times and turning on Central and watching The Avengers, The Saint, Man in a Suitcase - those type of dramas perhaps every night at 6pm and go back to the soap archives for Emmerdale and Corrie in the mornings. There must be quite a bit of 80s American shows that can be on as well - Scarecrow and Mrs King, Matlock, even LA Law. There is so much that itv can do with the channel.

Broadly agree, soap omnibuses aren't needed now and are so little watched they're shown on minor channels now. However, blocks of soap repeats rarely work as people will have forgotten the characters, but I would definitely say repeat The Bill.

Drama has that covered already.

Presumably The Bill is repeating well as it remains a key part of the schedule- if anything the slots have become more friendly with the late night showing now at about 2320 most nights (used to be later IIRC).

The Bill would work better than Corrie as, except for big episodes, no one would reallt remember what the characters did in between ten years ago and some of them will be forgotten now. However, except on grounds of cheapness, omnibuses have had their day now and get penny numbers of viewers.

With the arrival of The Voice, BGT had more competition in 2012/2013 than XF, Strictly or IAC have had in years. The reason it now has no competition is because it comprehensively dealt with The Voice and the BBC moved it away.

If anything, BGT will miss The Voice. It always helps when there's something else bringing people to the TV set for the night and both shows seemed to feed off the competition when they weren't head to head.

C14E, given what's happened to BGT yesterday, how do you think XFactor should be scheduled this Autumn? There have been calls in the past for Itv to move it forward to 7pm and just go for it head to head vs. SCD. Is this something you think should happen or do you think they ought to stick with the 8-10pm slot they had last year [clashing against the tail-end of SCD] and effectively closing up against SCD pre-8pm.

You appear to have seriously misunderstood me. I was talking about substantial competition. No idea what The Voice has to do with anything.

These shows can help eachother out to an extent but it does get exaggerated on here. The bits I've seen of BGT make it look a bit tired. Can't believe for a moment that viewing figures would remain fully in tact if it was properly tested.

Still I don't begrudge its success too much because at least it's not intrinsically nasty like X Factor. But it does get talked up something chronic on here.

Of the two Cowell shows, I think BGT is the one most likely to last to the end of the decade as for all its Subo moment has passed, it is capable of 11 million viewers on a good night and has a broader appeal than TXF. Remember Op Knocks ran for 17 series on ITV and a further 4 on BBC One and this is its spiritual successor.

If Corrie was repeated starting from say 1990 or 1995, you'd get a large number of characters that are either still in it, or were a major mainstay for decades and are still remembered

You'd have Ken, Deirdre, Emily, Audrey, Alf, Sally & Kevin, Gail & Martin, Mike Baldwin, Jack & Vera, Rita, Liz & Jim, Steve, Alma, Curly, Maureen, Reg, Mavis, Derek, you'd start to see Ashley, Fred, Norris, Roy etc just to name a few off the top of my head.

A full blown Corrie omnibus was rarely on the main ITV anyway in the last 50 years, rather than being relegated to ITV2, it was more that it was promoted to ITV1 for a few years and then sent back.

Granada and the regions owned by them used to like a Corrie repeat for obvious reasons, but even then it tended to be individual episodes repeated the next day. The likes of Central preferred stuff like Shortland Street. I don't think there was ever a networked omnibus in a fixed slot until the last the mid 00s

EastEnders has, as far as I'm aware always had a repeat, generally on BBC1 on a Sunday until recently, ever since it started?

I suppose there's always the faint possibility of another SuBo coming along. That would give it a kick up the arse. It would have to be something truly unique that we haven't seen before though and the general feeling with these shows now is one of going over old ground repeatedly.

BGT has plenty of mileage in it but I'll freely admit like most ITV entertainment shows it bores me to tears now. The production hasn't moved on at all and it's all too samey. But it's safe and inoffensive and that will do for most families on a Saturday evening when there's sod all else on.

New series of Perspectives tonight at 10pm, starting with Alan Davies: The Magic of Houdini

Anyone going to be watching?

The auditions ought to be about 7.45pm/8pm-9pm because it will still be light in the evenings. Probably 7.30pm-9pm for bootcamp and judges houses. Then see how it's going, see how Strictly is scheduled and how it performs without golden oldie talisman Bruce. In an ideal world come November it would be running about 7.30pm-9.30pm. But that seems like the one slot it almost certainly won't run in.

Also, I think the best lead-in itv have to offer at the moment is probably film repeats (Harry Potter 6pm-8pm). A huge part of the problem is that there's just nothing to get the night started and hold up against Strictly. Take Me Out was a better choice than The Chase in the sense that it brought in a more appropriate X Factor audience (16-34's).

While I'm not it's biggest fan, The Voice was substantial competition, particularly in 2012. Shows can only beat what is put in front of them. Short of moving Strictly to spring, I'm not entirely sure what you envision by substantial competition. There's nothing else pulling in figures above 6m, which is what makes it so remarkable that the big franchises continue to deliver 8m when nothing else can even if there isn't anything on.

Yes I will be watching after Crimson Field.

It'll probably only getting 1million viewers, well below the slot average. Like The Olivier Awards last week, the mainstream audience will repel a show like this.

I think they both will be down tbh although I hope not a lot - they are both good.

It has. I think it started in 86 or at least the end of 85.

It did move to BBC2 for a short time last year and was shifted at times in the past for sporting events and what not.

But not it's back on BBC1 and in the Friday night slot.


BTW any rating for EastEnders Omnibus on Friday please?