Well, I remember seeing applications for the pilot and now they've commissioned a six-part series, so it must have gone done well.

I don't agree with Norton as presenter thought. I think the BBC should just let his contract run out. They just seem to use him for the programmes as they don't really have much else for him.

I'm glad that SouthLAnd doing well and it was a wise desicion by Angela Bromstad to put this at 10pm than Kings. Harper's Island is flopping and I wouldn't be surprised if it is moved to Saturdays and Flashpoint or repeats of NCIS or The Mentalist are put in its place.

I think SouthLAnd and possibly Parks and Recreation will be back. It will be interesting to see in May what shows will be picked and what will be axed. I wonder if UK Broadcasters will be trying to acquire SouthLAnd for one of their digital channels.

I think Harpers will be OK for now. It's not a long run and so long as it holds above 7m it should survive. It reflects well on Eleventh Hour which will keep ITV happy.

I was reading an article about that Angela Bromstad woman who is apparently going to be doing all the work at NBC. You would be forgiven for thinking that Ben Silverman was trying to duck out of responsibility for the various flops when he says things like:


Here was me thinking that programming was their business!

That looks like garbage to be quite honest. By the way does anyone know when "All Star Mr and Mrs" is comnig back to ITV... I know someone that's going to a recording on Sunday.

...And I've already heard "it" three times on my local radio this morning.

*Stupid Scheduling Alert*
Reggie Perrin to begin airing on Friday at 21:30; only for it to be repeated on Saturday at 21:40.

Good God! If ITV had come up with this, there would be entire threads denouncing it.

Does anyone know how many episodes are actually left of Heartbeat to be aired, because some TV guides are billing this new series as the final one, but I'm sure there are more than 9 episodes left?

It's a shame how Heartbeat has been completely ruined in the space of a year and how much of a successful show it has been for ITV over the years-they ought to screen a documentary when it finishes after being on ITV for so long. It's the ISI that have ruined Heartbeat! (First use of the term ISI btw)

It sounds like they're extending a 10minute slot that usually appears in Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and shoving Norton in as the host. Sounds painfully tedious for it to be a whole programme, nearly as good as Barrowman's new one

you talking about Barrowman's Got Talent?

Where he opens the show every week with a song? Can't wait!

You just know that it will get strong ratings though

Good victory for EastEnders on Thursday night. Thursday clashes with Emmerdale when there's footie on ITV4, used to hit EastEnders much harder than that.

Am I the only one who can't find anything appealing in tonight's TV schedules?

See there are plenty of shows on the big two which i'm happy to watch, I'll probably watch Tonights the Night, Britains got Talent and Hell's Kitchen and record Primeval

Oh I must set the recorder asap

I like Outtake TV and Live at the Apollo ( ), but I've seen both shows quite recently, so I don't want to watch the repeats.

What do people think Britain's Got talent will get tonight.?

10.8million. Peak at 11.3 million.

If the whole Susan Boyle thing hadn't caught on I'd say it would get around 9m but it will definitely be nearing 11m after everything this week.

Tonight will also be the real test for Hell's Kitchen. Its getting a lead in from BGT so if it can't go above 4m then this series is going to flop.

I know what you mean, and the episode of LATO they are repeating isn't one of the greatest in the first place.

Graham Norton is a brilliant host of live tv, but both he and Barrowman have only limited appeal. Its going to take a pretty good format to hook a mass audience.
Personally I think it just brings home how few light entertainment stars there are these days. The two biggest names are Simon Cowell (who doesnt tell jokes, sing, present, or do anything in the traditional variety sense) and Ant and Dec who by all accounts are starting to look a bit tired.
In fact the "stars" of modern tv are increasingly the people who make fools of themselves on reality shows. The trouble is thay are hardly going to be able to present primetime live entertainment blockbusters.

It's not all bad, it did give me a laugh when I read it. Especially the bit about the car and the teddy bear! It sounds like a terribly limited format to stretch out over a few weeks. Probably the most unintentionally funny programme description I have read for a while.

It'll probably get an average of 6 million viewers and an extended run next year.


I'll watch Britain's Got Talent and probably hang around for a bit of Hells Kitchen before I go out. I expect HK will benefit heavily from BGT. Possibly back up to about 5m?

I've been gone for two weeks with no internet connection or anything to my disposal.

From reading the ratings reports, BBC1 have been dominating, and EastEnders has been given a brilliant boost from its hour episode a few Thursday nights ago. I think I mentioned that I thought it would do very well, and a lot of people disagreed & said it would be similar to after Christmas when Emmerdale & Corrie regained their leads.

For Emmerdale and Coronation Street, ratings have been quite poor, with Coronation Street's worst slot on Friday's at 8:30pm where it's struggling to meet an 8 million requirement. In the middle of the week, Emmerdale is finding itself lost in the 5 millions.

It's simply not good, but there's no stable schedule around it. Things are changing all the time, and no ITV scheduler has a long term plan in mind, perhaps they can't in the current financial circumstances.

Certainly Beat the Star has been given a Sunday night slot, where it has no chance of really building on its first series. Moving it to Saturday could have capitalised on ITV's other successes.

But, ITV have really only got Britain's Got Talent as their big performer on Saturday nights, which as a positive, shows the strength of such a show to get 10 million viewers on its own with 2 million viewers either side.

But it's quite a messy Saturday schedule in the spring, with little reason to cheer for ITV despite the programming in the schedule.

I've got an idea for next year to perhaps help, from January to March.

Have Piers Morgan's Life Stories on Friday nights at 9pm, as they are biographical and appeal to nostalgic people, who are probably not teenagers who are out on the town on a Friday night.

Then, the next day, there could be a couple of "special" 'An Audience with' editions during the series if Piers interviews any comedians/entertainers/musicians. It gives the weekend a theme (i.e. a person)

I know I really shouldn't comment on things I have no intention of watching, but this new Graham Norton fronted show does sound awful. Is seems every new press office announcment regarding Saturday night entertainment is worse than the last. When's it going to end?

I don't really see the problem with Totally Saturday it just sounds like Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, minus the Z List Celebrities battling it out in stupid tired features.

I agree Manxy, it just sounds like a good saturday night entertainment show which many people have been calling for. Hopefully either Totally Saturday or Tonights the Night will be a success then BBC will have enough mixture of drama (Dr Who, Robin Hood, Merlin) Light entertainment (TTN or TS, Total Wipeout) and Reality Shows (SCD, ALW shows and Last Choir standing)

It would just be nice for them to find a comedy show which would be a success for the post 9pm slot, they've shown both The Old Guys and Outnumbered there, both of which got only medioc ratings (even though Outnumbered has had critical aclaim)

BBC1 dont seem to be able to show aquired programming in primetime, but if they are I think post-Casualty would be a good slot for things like Damages and Medium. Something like this...

6.00 Outtake TV
6.30 Strictly Come Dancing
7.50 The National Lottery
8.40 Casualty
9.30 Medium
10.15 News, Weather
10.30 Match of the Day

The Saturday night slot was probably the better one too for the first showing.

Mind you, the Friday slot does follow HIGNFY which will do very well up against Hellish Ratings, sorry, Kitchen on ITV1, so it should get a strong lead-in.


Doesn't sound like a bad show to me. You lot wrote off Hole in the Wall and Total Wipeout based on what you had read before they started, but both turned out to be good Saturday teatime entertainment and hits with viewers.