I found it difficult to get in to at first, but I was actually quite looking forward to it by episodes five and six.

I'm even glad Citizen Khan is coming back. The coffee table scene in last week's episode had me crying with laughter.

Wouldn't they be good for 2m at that time a few years back? News At Ten used to be THE news bulletin. ITV killed it.

Channel shares for the month of November in each year:

2010 - ITV SD = 18.3%, ITV HD = 0.7%, HD as % of SD+HD = 4%
2011 - ITV SD = 15.9%, ITV HD = 1.1%, HD as % of SD+HD = 6%
2012 - ITV SD = 15.6%, ITV HD = 1.4%, HD as % of SD+HD = 8%
2013 - ITV SD = 15.3%, ITV HD = 1.6%, HD as % of SD+HD = 9%
2014 - ITV SD = 14.4%, ITV HD = 2.2%, HD as % of SD+HD = 13%

Yes, quite a significant jump there in 2014.

Same here, but I didn't watch it, because I knew it would make me angry.

Yet so many new TVs are still being sold with 'HD Ready' and 'Full HD' splashed all over the boxes yet four years on no Freeview HD tuners.

Using D.M.N.'s tape-checked numbers, a comparison with the full-sot figures from ITV Media where they differ:

18:30-18:55 - BBC Regional News: 5.43m (29.1%)
* full-slot (18:30-19:00) - 5.32m (28% to 1 d.p.)
* therefore the rating for 18:55-19:00 was 4.77m

19:00-19:25 - The One Show: 3.78m (19.8%)
* full-slot (19:00-19:30) - 3.82m (20% to 1 d.p.)
* therefore the rating for 19:25-19:30 was 4.01m

Neither figure is good and Emmerdale is now regularly falling well under 6 million. Yet 6.3 million for EE is rather pathetic, considering last year it could regularly get 8 million. At this rate, with the soaps down a million over the year and no sign of a recovery, I can see Emmerdale getting below 5 million and EE below 6 million this time next year.

Everyones a critic !!

I assume you mean the ratings. If you had predicted these ratings for the soaps in December earlier in the year you would have been ridiculed on here.

Did EE regularly get 8m last year? I dont think so.

Not really breaking news, this, it was in the schedules for January 3rd when they were posted here several days ago. I don't think it's that strange at all, a few years back we had The World's Greatest Elvis which was only a two-part programme.

It also reminds me a bit of this, from 2001...
http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules...01-19#at-20.00
...when the Beeb were throwing quite a lot of LE at the wall to see what stuck. I remember that was originally scheduled for a Saturday teatime and it first appeared in the Saturday TV guides in the Sunday papers, to much bemusement. The whole day's schedule is a great example of how odd BBC1 was immediately after they moved the news with shows starting at odd times (like 8.50) and odd one-offs flung in all kinds of places. Also note that night the unsuccessful attempt to rebrand Clive Anderson's chat show.


Well, presumably not ever in terms of seven days a week because it would have gone lower when it ended up at 1am on Saturday night after that delayed England match just before the World Cup. And it went lower opposite the Olympics opening ceremony as well. It must be one of the lowest in something like normal circumstances, though. Any benefit it might have got from a larger than usual ABC1 inheritance from the drama was offset by them all switching over to Question Time.

How do all those old people find the HD button ?

I really thought most tvs now had Freeview HD tuners - is that really not the case?

Possibly more the case that people are still watching the SD channel on their HDtv. I don't know if it is purely forgetfulness or a lack of a prompt needed on the TV to remind people that they can watch the HD version on channel ......

You are correct though. The number of times I have had to ask why people are not watching HD?

Someone will have the monthly averages, but the following is for this week last year, with [year-on-year changes in 2014 in brackets]:

EastEnders overnights - w/c 09.12.13
Mon - 5.53m (22.7%) [2014 down -0.09m/up +0.3 share point, both against RVP]
Tue - 7.05m (33.8%) [2014 down -0.34m/down -2.2 share points, both against football coverage]
Thu - 6.89m (33.1%) [2014 down -0.58m/down -1.4 share points, both against Tonight]
Fri - 6.63m (30.8%)

Interesting that the episode most down yoy was the one that was tapechecked last year but not this year. I do think whether or not an episode is tapechecked goes some way to explain the inconsistencies in the ratings. Some like last night's, where the credits ran a few seconds past 19:57:30, have the new update bringing them down 100-200k and some don't.

Obviously the ratings will still be low regardless, which is why I'm not saying this is the reason why they're low just why the ratings tend to be rather inconsistent.

it's only a one off show. A sort of experiment, in similar style to The One and Only series that aired in 2007, but not as trashy. At least they're trying out new formats instead of making a full series. It's just fluffy filler in readiness for The Voice launching.

Well, I did catch up with episode 1. Everyone is raving about it as if it's the best drama ever created! "It will win tons of awards!" says he! "Oh it's got BAFTA all over it" says another! Well, here's my opinion. It was a good drama. It was well acted. It was very respectful in its handling of the whole thing. But, it wasn't groundbreakingly brilliant. It wasn't so fabulous that I found I had to tune in the next night - a sentiment shared by many when you look at the ratings for last night. I personally don't identify with it as a clear BAFTA success. Cilla was miles better. Remember Me was miles better. As short drama serials go, it was OK. But, I really have a problem with dramatising things like this. I remember a few years ago when BBC1 made a drama about the prostitutes being murdered (sorry I can't recall the name of the drama - nor the location as to where it took place), and I felt as uncomfortable watching that as I did watching this.

I also suspect that those decrying "BBC fans" or "The Usual Suspects" wouldn't have even bothered watching it had it been on BBC1 because it is highly likely "Cheryl's Glittering Handbag of X-Factor Dropouts" type of show that is normally on ITV in its place would have been the chosen viewing vehicle for "the ITV usual suspects".

EE was up 0.09m on Monday, not down - it got 5.62m.

Thank you for the correction. Helped very slightly by RVP's big fall year-on-year, it seems.

Decent Start for the BBC Music Awards last night, considering it's an inaugural event I actually think it did rather well, (in Comparison last year's BRITS pulled in 4.2 million (4.6 inc +1)) The Beeb will certainty be happy to build on that next year, it does seem to have the capacity to be the premier show of its type in a year or two as there are some very positive reviews of it out there this morning.

. Well, erm, actually, in the case of my Nan, I changed the channel list on Freeview so that HD was "3" instead of "103." She never misses Corrie in HD now .

Those decreeing it should win BAFTA's, awards etc. on the drama thread do for most dramas that are cut above the rest, either on BBC1 and ITV. Just like for Happy Valley, Marvellous, Cilla, even The Missing.

I haven't seen anyobody suggest its the best drama ever created, if they have point it out to me. But what your suggesting is exactly the same as when a BBC drama has an impact. This thread if filled with posters fawning over a drama, praising it to high hills.

Let's face it some on here stick to their favourite channel and do not budge from 'Channel 1', and will not watch ITV. Others are more open to watching a broad range of channels, like me I watch BBC One dramas, BBC Two dramas, ITV, occasionally Ch4 (but not very often).

If it was on BBC1 I would have watched it, like I have done with The Missing, Remember Me etc.

Even if TXF was on BBC One, I wouldn't watch it, but I know was it on there, some people would say it was a marvellous show simply because it was on the BBC and others saying it was derivative and a waste of licence payers money. I'll be honest and say TV is really just the BBC wanting in on the success ITV has in this genre.

if Radio 2 continue its undying support for it, like their share on the licence fee depends on it, then BBC Music Awards will be a thing.

Its prime example of it being an event because its supported by the BBC, the ITV Music Awards would not ge the same amount of coverabge from BBC Radio, and not warrant a mention on BBC TV.