Oh it's ok. I just think it would be stupid if it was axed.

We'll have to see. I might write to ITV.

Writing to ITV a couple of weeks back, it's now confirmed that Heartbeat and The Royal will never come back.

Closer Mag's Tv Pages confirm Wild at Heart is returning. edit, I said filming starts next month but it is actually soon.

I doubt it. They wouldn't just tell you in a letter and not announce it anywhere else. It has not been on the news or DS.

Well, Sir, it has been in the news with various sources saying Heartbeat has been axed. Other sources have said though that production has simply been halted.

I was told by email that there would be no further commission for new series of Heartbeat.

Nothing about halting anything. I wouldn't just lie, Sir. I want Heartbeat to return more than anyone.

Makes more sense than "they're postponing it".

I know there's a credit crunch but you can't postpone every single television programme!!

I have never watched BGT. Would rather watch my West Wing boxset

"Sources" are often the newspapers making things up.

Who emailed you then?

Why is a programme, broadcast in the UK, filmed in Hungary?

Hope you're right - I'd hate to lose any program of that type since there are so few about and Primeval is mostly quality programming.


Cost. It's been cheaper to film there.

Yeah, I'm sorry if I'm wrong, as I heard about Wild at Heart from more than one source, although if they're filming next month then I'm obviously wrong.

Interesting about Heartbeat and The Royal. I think that it's brave of ITV to axe these two, but worthwhile, as I think they've gone on long enough, and it's time to move on.


Indeed, from what has been said in various places of late, it sounds as though all that'll be left to show (other than the soaps and talent shows) is wall to wall repeats of shows like Fat Teens In Love, whilst everything else is on the shelf!

Obviously I'm exaggerating, but so many shows have apparently been 'postponed' that there will be nothing left to show. Some of these rumours must be false, and I'd be surprised if Primeval isn't recommissioned. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see it until 2011, but only because it will be returning to Q1, rather than running in the Spring (as, obviously, a new series wouldn't be ready for January 2010).

Interesting to see ITV releasing information about Benidorm going out on Spring Bank Holiday Monday, and the call centre sitcom going out on FA Cup Final weekend.

I think it's more likely to be the other way around.

I adore the West Wing but BGT is very compelling. More so than previous years I have to say.

You know something that we don't know, Pizza ?

By the way, it wasn't ITV who said Benidorm would return on Bank Holiday Monday... it was the creator of the show .

Did ITV tell you this in the email too? I hope so, as it really is better than ever this year, and deserves to come back.

You missed Law and Order: UK, which was simply superb and needs to stay. And I'm a Celebrity surely deserves a place, too?

I agree with pretty much everything on that list, but axing something like Marple wouldn't be a travesty, considering its recent ratings dip. If it meant that something better (Primeval, Law and Order, Benidorm) being saved then it would be worthwhile. I think it's time for Heartbeat and The Royal to go, too, as like I said above, ITV need to move on, as these shows (Heartbeat in particular) have gone on long enough.

I think a good indicator of a programme's demise is when the show spends a far longer than expected time in the can before making it to air.

Heartbeat and The Royal are good examples of this. And it wouldn't surprise me if a similar fate befalls Kingdom.

It might still be touch and go for Primeval and Robin Hood, but I'd expect Lewis and Wild at Heart to be reasonably safe because of their ratings. And Wild at Heart seems to have the advantage of being ITV's pet Sunday night drama, getting as it does, far better treatment than their other Sunday drama offerings.

I just don't see how they can fit an hour of Benidorm into that Monday night line-up. I think 10pm would be such a waste of a high-rating comedy.

There's no way they could get it in on that Saturday, either, it would be starting a good bit after 10pm.

It does seem a bit of a waste, but that is cancelled out by it being on straight after BGT, which would give it a good boost. Also, the Bank Holiday audience will help it.

I would have liked a 9pm slot for the special.

But I think a 10pm slot with a Britain's Got Talent semi final lead-in (12m+?) will still be quite good.

In the first series, Benidorm was on at 10pm and iirc sometimes it got more than 5m. With a huge BGT lead-in, it could do rather well.

If Mumbai Calling does get the "BGT finale sandwich slot", I'd be expecting something over 6m. That would set up the remaining 6 episodes of that series nicely. Benidorm's already got a pretty big fanbase, so doesn't really need that extra boost which another show could get.

Benidorm got about 4.5m on average for its first series, so yes, it did rather well. If anything, I think it was the excellent trailers that boosted Benidorm series 2.

I doubt that Mumbai Calling will get the BGT sandwich, as where would Primeval and Mr and Mrs go? I reckon it'll go like this:

6.15pm Mr and Mrs
7.15pm Britain's Got Talent
8.45pm Primeval
9.45pm Britain's Got Talent
10.15pm Mumbai Calling

Wild at Heart started with 10 million plus if I remember but it has become a little less compulsive and I reckon it was carried a touch by being in the DOI sandwich this time.

As for heartbeat, its long been a joke about the fact it spent 17 years in the sixties. If anything big was for the chop it was probably going to be this. On the other hand, even if a show is axed "permanently" this is no guarantee that it will never come back.5,10,15 years-just look at Reggie Perrin. Who knows!

I thought that last year, but X Factor snowballed and overtook BGT, even the amazing 14m peak was beaten slightly by X Factor.

One of them is going to have to lose viewers sooner or later and it probably will be X Factor first.

That's probably the most obvious option. But it could also go on the lines of:

18:00 Mr and Mrs
19:00 Primeval
20:00 Britain's Got Talent Finale
21:30 Mumbai Calling
22:00 Britain's Got Talent Finale

This option would also allow the results show to run for 1 hour, which could be a possibility as it's gonna bring in a lot of money.

Heartbeat/The Royal are gone.

Local papers in Whitby quoted cast members after a meeting saying there was no hope and they took pictures of Heartbeat's last ever day of filming in Whitby.

Brilliant day for BBC Sport today. London Marathon, Bahrain Grand Prix,Moto GP and World Snooker. Oh and throw a couple of MOTD editions into the mix as well.

The Marathon is always a highlight for me, fabulously colourful it really inspires me to have a go myself. Until tomorrow morning usually, but there you go.