If they can't sing, why tell them otherwise? And the six chair challenge is just another way to whittle down the singers.

Every one of us has it in us to be cruel: when you criticize someone on TV for their looks, dress sense, singing, etc, We are all guilty of this. The only difference is, TXF is on TV.

On a different note, there is no announcement of a quick commission of Our Zoo. 1 week since it finished.

...... and that criticism is done in the name of entertainment, and both the broadcaster and judges/production company profit from it in one way or another, criticism that is seen/heard by millions watching, and repeated in press reports.

The key difference I see between something like The Missing and Broadchurch is that its a less contained mystery (for want of a better description). A series like Broadchurch is relatively easy to structure over 8-10 episodes because the central premise is someone is this town killed someone else which presents with it an obvious introduction to and then elimination of suspects. The premise of investigating the abduction of a child in a foreign country is inherently less self contained and as such the illusion of narrative progression is much harder to create and sustain without some potentially ludicrous plot twists or narrative leaps. It certainly isn't impossible though.


For a few reasons.

The first is essentially the same reason I don't imagine that Sky will license second run rights to Atlantic's upcoming drama Fortitude to anyone. The basic pitch for Netflix is that the only place to see its original content is Netflix (which is the same basic pitch Sky have particularly in regards to Atlantic) so it makes little sense to start offering up that original content to other outlets. Its absolutely right to say that potentially there's an upswing in subscribers as a result but its also entirely possible that it drives down subscriptions because if I know I can see this content elsewhere for free (even if its delayed) I have much less desire to subscribe to Netflix. Its much easier for them to just keep this content exclusive to them. I'm also not sure that it would be ITV's best interest to effectively pay to air an ad for Netflix which ultimately is what they'd be doing if they were to somehow license second run rights for House of Cards. They already have enough issues with audience fragmentation without potentially helping that process along.

Less crucially though I don't think Netflix would be comfortable with the idea of there being a public measurement of how popular their shows are particularly not when it would be a single isolated point of data on ITV on a Tuesday night. Netflix has steadfastly refused to release any kind of public data on how many people are actually watching their original content or indeed the second run content they buy in. From all reports they aren't even telling the production companies and producers who are providing the content what the viewership level for these shows are. The head of Lionsgate TV who make Orange is the New Black recently said that he had absolutely no idea how many people watch the show because Netflix don't tell them. With that in mind I think its potentially a PR catastrophe for Netflix if they sell some of these original shows to ITV or other broadcasters and almost nobody watches them.


It is of course worth remembering that every contestant who performs in front of the judges has already progressed through at least a couple of layers of screening. The bad singers who audition on The X Factor have already auditioned for the production team and are often times led to believe by that team that they're better than they are and are set to be progress in the competition. They're also encouraged by that same production team to 'fight for their place on the show' and not to take no for an answer.

No. The difference is that when you reach adulthood and a certain level of maturity not everybody mocks the vulnerable. And it is obvious when somebody is vulnerable. You can't always defend somebody for being a tosser when mocking somebody vulnerable. You have to call them out on it.

Well we are never going to agree on XF but I would say that saying nobody forces them to audition is just one great big get out of jail free card.

Well we have not even got its final ratings yet but it must be on a knife edge, lets hope the quality and realisation they cocked up the scheduling gives it a reprieve - it certainly deserves it.

i'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that you don't watch XF and you've made assumptions based on what others have said. either that or you have a very broad definition of vulnerable. in most cases judges of XF (and even more so BGT) are generally very cautious when rejecting younger and elderly auditionees.

Well he did launch a foul mouthed diatribe at me last year. 😃

The Apprentice still has life in it but we need a new face rather than Al Sugar, as much as I detest Branson I'd like to see him replace the barrowboy.

I have seen X Factor and BGT and in the past I think they overstepped the mark with some contestants. I prefer both now as they've toned it down.

I thought LS was on top form last night, but its an interesting speculation on the future possibilities for The Apprentice-if indeed there is any possible post Sugar future.

Anybody any further ideas on who might be a good successor?

i agree.

tbh, i think they could bin the auditions altogether now and start at the bootcamp stage.

it's the weakest part of the show.

Apprentice might rise tonight. Spoke to two people who both missed it last night but will be watching tonight. Everyone who watched it last night will be watching it again.

The whole point of Television entertainment is to offer the viewer an escape from reality. Not have it thrust at us because producers like to be gritty. And no, nobody forces people to audition. But the auditionees are putting themselves forward because they think they can sing, not because they want to be ridiculed. We all think we're good at something don't we?

It was Tues/Wed last year and the Wednesday was down, but of course its much later in the year this time.

First two I'm a Celebrity teasers up: http://www.itv.com/imacelebrity/jung...ith-our-teaser

Will be interesting to see if it survives The Million Viewer Drop*.

* not a new Channel 4 show.

Not sure about that, the two other times they've done the two day launch it dips on the second day. Series 7 was down 0.69m on its Tuesday episode and Series 9 was down 0.8m. I can see it holding up better tonight though.

I thought they had done it more than twice, this time they had to do it to get it finished by Christmas, which is also why we should definitely get a Sunday final this year.

This series seems to have got a better reaction which I think might help it retain viewers. There was a fair bit of international football last night and the Apprentice and Football have decent cross over audience.

Downton Abbey doesn't finish until Sunday 9th November, which would mean a start date for I'm a Celebrity of Sunday 16th November. That's 32 days away, however there's no way it can be earlier than that because Grantchester won't finish until Monday 10th November and a mid-week launch is unlikely.

EDIT - England internationals on Saturday 15th November and Tuesday 18th November too, I think its worth noting.

I think what X Factor did I'm the past has polarized people's views of it. I had many issues bwith it a few years ago but not now. For all of The Voice's perceived problems its niceness appealed and influenced X Factor and BGT.

We thought The Crimson Field was safe for a recommission with its ratings and look what happened. Nothing is predictable. Our Zoo might be a 50/50 for a return.

Well I have already said I agree but on another note have we heard anything about The Village which shouldnt have got a second series but seems to be flavour of the month with Ms Moore.

Wasn't there a change to the BARB measures or collection of data? Would this be a reason for the evident audience decline?

Not that I'm aware of.