Thanks for these.

As expected that's a rather hefty drop in live audience from Strictly to Doctor Who. Also rather telling that Doctor Who is the weakest live viewing part of the line-up. Its remains rather tricky to know what do with Doctor Who going forward though. Obviously the total audience isn't really an issue at this point but I'm not sure there's an especially compelling argument for keeping it paired with Strictly next year. Surely the BBC have other things that could make greater use of that live audience and its not as if Doctor Who is going to collapse at another time of year. In truth it'll probably just pull the exact same figures it is now.

Just found a bit of this on YouTube after reading this post - simultaneously adorable, hilariously silly and utterly compelling. Eurovision meets The X Factor meets That Puppet Game Show. Judging by the fate of the latter it wouldn't take off on the main channels but Sky1 or C5 doing a version could be fun. Think the BBC would probably ruin it.


Bit unfortunate for Susanna Reid. Don't think anybody will be making that mistake again.


Add Benedict Cumberbatch in '12 Years A Slave' and Martin Freeman in 'Fargo' and you have four of the most popular British actors around who just can't do an American accent. How bizarre.

Talking of Fargo, surprised nobody has mentioned the National Television Awards longlist which was unveiled in the last 24 hours. They've got a new 'Talent Show judge' category - which Kylie Minogue is promptly excluded from. Will also be fascinated to see which of Peter Capaldi, David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman come out on top in 'Drama Performance' with their crossover fanbases.

Not one live rating actually doubled by the catch-up audience, surprising. Clearly from this we can see that the Strictly boost would have been better served a weaker show but I don't think that necessarily means it should move. Particularly not in line with the following suggestion..

Noooooo! Moffat overload! The amount of promotion that the crossover teams have to do for Sherlock and Who individually would make airing both at the same time a non-starter, even if it wouldn't just be ruled out purely because spreading out the BBC's three bigeest youth-skewing fomats throughout the year makes far more sense than sticking it all on at once and potentially damaging at least one format through over-crowding.

Besides which I'm 99% sure that Moffat has confirmed that Series 9 of DW will air at the same time next year.

Northern Ireland opted out; each time that's happened the crude timeshift's gone down to about half a million instead of a million or more. Not explicable from removing NI as that's only tens of thousands.

Gotham was great. Will definitely be tuning in next week

I wonder what ITV will do for it's 60th next year. A big fuss was made for it's 50th.

8.7 for the Walking Dead on AMC in the demo, while a repeat garnered another 1.3 later.

Less good news for Showtime and Homeland which sunk on last weeks lacklustre opening to a dismal 0.4 and 1.2m viewers which is the lowest since season 1.

The Affair followed with 507k viewers and a 0.14 in the demo.

Saturday 25th
18:30-20:15 - Strictly Come Dancing
20:00-22:10 - The X Factor

Intruders is down for double bills starting Monday 27th October at 9pm. Baby P: The Untold Story down for 8.30-10pm on BBC One.

The Missing starts Tuesday 28th at 9pm, won't finish until 16th December meaning Last Tango is moving, or starting with a Christmas special instead of ending with one.

Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered airs Sunday 26th at 9pm on BBC One. ITV's Keep It In the Family also starts that day at 7pm

Citizen Khan starts Friday 31st at 8.30pm, no sign of the last Would I Lie to You.

Now you have said that I think I remember ftv posting it. So I am calling it now that I think there is a definate BARB mistake with these timeshifts for NT. Why would 500k people in the rest of the uk not timeshift NT because of a NI opt out? There is no correlation between the two as far as I can see.

What is this? That disgusting act concluded over seven years ago now, what can they possibly have uncovered

Why does there seem to be an assumption that a sizeable part of the Strictly viewing base would also be Doctor Who viewers? And with that in mind, surely the BBC is doing its job by providing something different for people on a Saturday evening, not just for those people who are interested in a dance/entertainment programme?

Disappointed with that. I thought The Missing was nailed on for Mondays. What are they showing Mondays then?

There isn't an assumption that there's a huge overlap in their audience. There was however an assumption that running out of Strictly it should perhaps have posted better live (and over night) figures. There's also the belief that it doesn't need to air with Strictly which potentially opens the slot up for something else that might benefit more from being paired with Strictly.

I was surprised by that time slot as well, if channel 4 keep shunting it back, it will be going head to head with Jeremy Kyle.


It was up against New Tricks which will explain that young skew. If any demographic is going to continue to stick with a poorer New Tricks even when fresher newer programmes are on offer anywhere, it will be those all important OAPs that Samuel keeps going on about.

Good job New Tricks doesn't have an omnibus!

Ouch for Showtime.

I'm expecting Homeland to (re)build its audience a little as the season progresses though (particularly as Walking Dead calms down a little). It certainly seems to be a better show this year than last and presumably if Homeland grows The Affair will to. Although probably not by a huge amount. I guess it'll be one and done although it may end up grabbing enough award nominations to tempt Showtime to keep it.

Jason Merrells, Neil Morrissey and Michelle Collins for Death in Paradise

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/...oSGr3RfLgDRq7C

Absolutely it would be on minus figures if it did.

Well the Baby P doc that week, after that I'm not sure. Intruders will be on for 4 weeks, so they may want to avoid airing drama against that, and then only Remember Me would fit in before Christmas. I'm still assuming The Game will go Sundays, as I can't see them putting Last Tango in Halifax there even against a weakened Downton. (Radio Times' website did say Last Tango would start in December when filming started but I just thought it was an error, maybe they were right.)

Last Tango airing 23rd December - 27th January with Death in Paradise following in February, along with Call the Midwife and Silent Witness, would give them a strong start to the year but I'm not sure how likely it is. Also, it takes away their best slot for a stripped drama over Christmas (Sunday 28th - Tuesday 30th December.)

For a show set in the Caribbean it has a remarkably white guest cast...

They seem to be building up quite a guest list for the next series. This is a real big hit BBC have here something that ITV is lacking.

It strikes me as something needing the cushion of the Tuesday 9pm slot. Can't remember James Nesbitt's last hit drama series.

Radio Times this week says it's "taking a break for a few weeks" after the 24th.

I find this utterly bizarre scheduling, particularly given the erratic broadcast history the show has already had. Citizen Khan will also have to take a week off for Children in Need, so by the time it finishes it'll be time to show the WILTY Christmas Special - so where does that leave the last regular episode and outtakes show? Are we to take it that whoever was responsible for scheduling couldn't count to nine?

Thunderbirds? When is the 60th?

The outtakes show can easily be ditched or put on the schedule just about anywhere as filler so that's not really important. That they're ending it with an episode on the shelf is odd. Are we definitely sure about how many episodes were ordered?