Tom Jones has openly criticised The Voice producers on Facebook. He said "In good faith, as part of the team, I’d put the time in my schedule to be involved in Series 5, as I’ve done so for the last 4 years. I’ve supported the show and the BBC since the beginning. I was told yesterday, with no consultation or conversation of any kind, that I would not be returning...This sub-standard behaviour from the executives is very disappointing.".

From that it looks like they wanted Boy George but did not want two "older" coaches. It wanted to keep it's "current" image.

It does seem to have been very poorly handled. I don't disagree with the decision to ask him back (although I can't help but wonder why now after keeping him for four series where he has performed poorly throughout) but they could clearly have handled things better.

I'm guessing Pointless will be on 49 weeks this year, it'll take Christmas week off. The Chase I expect will be on about 35 weeks assuming there is another 5 week series of Paul o'grady at some point in the autumn.

There are more Pointless repeats, than The Chase repeats as result.

I'm not sure how the likes of Bargain Hunt and Homes under the Hammer work, don't they tend to mix repeats and new ones every week rather than having distinct blocks of new and repeats?

Yep, not the best handling.
Yes. It's been that way for a few years. They used to have blocks of new editions, then several weeks of repeats.

I gave Very British problems a "might as well watch as there's nothing on" thinking it would just pass time. I ended up laughing throughout most of it. For sure tuning in next week!

With Bargain Hunt, Escape to the Country, Jeremy Kyle etc it's easier to mix repeats with new episodes especially if the repeats are only a year or two older than newer episodes.

It's strange that in this country, antique shows are daytime staple whereas in the US it's gameshows and talk shows. I suppose This Morning and Loose Women cater for the chat show and lifestyle crowd, Jeremy Kyle and Rinder cover the audiences who like real life problems and gameshows are covered by Pointless, The Chase, Tipping Point et all


I liked it but it's too long as a hour long show, it would work better as a half an hour series similar to Grumpy Old Men

Ooh, fair enough. I can only assume that they decided nothing would rate well opposite Bake Off so rather than waste some Vera repeats there, which could do decent business against something weaker on BBC1, they'd hold off and just basically shove anything opposite Bake Off, knowing it's a total no hope slot.


Well, that is the point I was making, Bake Off has a huge audience of all demographics, and so it seems a bit weird to suggest the ITV daytime audience and the Bake Off audience is massively different. A huge percentage of the ITV daytime audience watches Bake Off, not because it skews one way or the other, but because the Bake Off audience is so bloody big.


Hmm, I've always been against particularly involved drama - ie, not the soaps - on Christmas Day because I don't think the audience has the time or inclination to sit down and concentrate on it. There's a danger too that with umpteen shows all battling for attention you dilute the word of mouth and social media aspect with for a show like Sherlock is so important. I think it needs to be on its own as the centrepiece of an entire day with nothing else to detract from it.


You can certainly argue that Fifteen To One being an hour is to the detriment to the programme because the appeal of Fifteen To One used to be that it was relentless quizzing, and the format's the same but the duration has been doubled, so it just drags on. That's alright on the celebrity versions which I enjoy because you can have entertaining chat with the celebrities (although the fact I'm here and not watching it illustrates that I think they're very badly scheduled, not helped by Adam Hills presenting two shows on one night and usually someone from 8 Out Of 10 Cats or The Last Leg appearing as well). On the civilian version it's just boring.

On the other hand, though, I like Pointless being 45 minutes because I like the chat because Xander and Richard are so funny, and you'd lose that if it was shorter. I dunno if anyone remembers the time in 2001 where they made some half hour episodes of The Weakest Link - http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules...don/2001-05-24 - to fill gaps in the schedule. It was the same format but with fewer contestants (seven, I think?) and a bit less banter but it was a bit dull because there weren't enough jokes in it and it illustrated the format on its own was a bit boring.


But ITV repeat The Chase when it's not at 5pm anyway! OK, there's only one this week, on Sunday teatime, but last year when it wasn't at 5pm they were showing it at 12.30 instead, plus a couple of episodes after News at Ten. You could also easily turn that round and say that at least the Beeb try new shows in the morning which ITV don't because Jeremy Kyle and This Morning run all year round. What's the difference?


Of course this thread has suggested Paloma Faith every year since series one, seems amazing they've got to series five before hiring her. I don't like her but this does look a good panel, and also what I think is good is that they're all quite funny, I think George will be very funny. There's nothing to worry about having him live at teatime, he's been doing live primetime shows and daytime shows for thirty years with no problems. I think people really like him. I think the whole panel should be quite witty and I think that's exactly the route they should be going down.


Except the antiques shows are all different and I've said here before my parents like some - like Antiques Road Trip - but don't like some of the others, they certainly don't like Put Your Money Where You Mouth Is. I don't know what the difference is but clearly there is a difference. It's like ITV should always do alright because 5pm is always quizzes. And ITV could easily run Tipping Point and The Chase all year round if they wanted to. Pointless holds up alright with constant repeats, why wouldn't The Chase?



Not really, it was running out of steam when it ended, although it was sold as Anne wanting to pack it in. But they showed the last episodes on BBC2 so it was clearly declining, if it was still rating alright it would have run right to the end on BBC1. I've said it before but The Weakest Link and Deal Or No Deal lose their novelty because the format's aren't much and the appeal is in the presentation. The Weakest Link ran out of insults. Pointless and The Chase are stronger formats and so could run forever.

This Morning is new programming though. I just think the 5:15-6pm slot being taken up by nothing but Pointless is a waste, when they could try to launch other shows there which would do better than if launched elsewhere. Even if they just did it when The Chase wasn't on so they don't lose the audience. It's also frustrating as a Pointless fan having to keep checking if the episodes are new or repeats especially as they air a few episodes from the new series and then go back to repeats.

Also I think it's fair to say that the BBC can get away with airing repeats because generally repeats rate better on BBC One than they do on ITV. This wouldn't necessarily affect The Chase but certainly in general it is the case. Just recently they started repeating Fake or Fortune on Sunday nights after the new series finished and suffered next to no drop in ratings from the new episodes. It wouldn't happen on ITV. Maybe because the BBC are clever with their repeats by putting them in the same slot as new episodes would air and mixing them up rather than throwing them in anywhere in the schedule.

I think its probably helped by ITV not turning up and the audience (of the older generation) default too BBC1 (and this is not saying those who do watch by default do not like Fake or Fortune?. Just that is the best option of a bad bunch.)

They are currently recording 110 new daytime episodes of Pointless and 26 celebrity shows at Elstree.

Well he was front and centre on Sweat the Small Stuff which was a big flop.


Thanks, I missed the latest RAJAR release. Back up to 5.84m weekly reach, but still among the lowest ratings of the breakfast show over the last 12 years.

Not really, it ran for four series which doesn't exactly scream big flop. It did reasonably for a while before tailing off towards the end, but didn't have a bad run. Considering that has been his only proper TV show and even then it was at 10pm on BBC3, there's hardly evidence that he is 'ratings death'.

The last episode of Downton is being shown on Christmas Eve according to ITV.That was confirmed at this week's BAFTA tribute, a recording of which will be shown later this year.

Oh a bit of change for ITV at christmas. Wonder what they will put on christmas day. I wonder if they have considered a variety show with Ant and Dec

Really? Seems odd after years of airing it on the big day, although it'd probably work better on Christmas Eve. Is that confirmed anywhere online?

EDIT: ITV Press Centre says Christmas Day:


http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press...-downton-abbey

There is only one reason its still there, its a success!

I think you will get your wish though. Assuming ITV were to invite the BBC to bid (I presume they are making this decision), there is the equivalent of a firing squad lining up against the show reappearing. The decision being made right in the teeth of charter renewal with a Tory party sensing blood, and who have pointedly singled the show out in the same way you have.

Personally I hope the BBC have the balls to bid, no political party should be telling the BBC which shows to broadcast or not.

EDIT: As far as Sir Tom is concerned, from what he has said it looks like it could have been handled better. He is the first iirc who has actually been effectively sacked(the others have left of their own accord I think)-no doubt the Beeb will get a battering on ageism amongst everything else.

Might have been an idea to give Tom and his team an indication sooner if they were intending to not renew his contract, especially if he'd been keeping his schedule clear under the assumption he would be back. And presumably the vibes were good that that would be the case.

I can see why they wanted change but frankly the handling has been abysmal. Whatever you thought about him on the programme he's a bit of a national treasure, no? Deserved better than that anyway.

I think most people will read this in the papers tomorrow and think "what a way to treat Sir Tom Jones" rather than "ooh, that lineup sounds good, can't wait for The Voice to start up again and find some more forgettable singers!"

My recollection is that it did really badly, about 300k, and the BBC may have only kept it going so as not to offend their new great hope. And his radio ratings fell and fell before their recent uptick.

But I admit I cannot stand the man so perhaps my judgement is clouded; I await with interest the response to his appearances on TXF

I agree. He wasn't good on the show but the whole thing has been a shambles and that quote from the BBC is incredibly arrogant. But then as far as The Voice is concerned they've always been incredibly arrogant so no change I guess.

The lineup sounds pretty good on the whole too (apart from will.i.am's continued presence) but they've blown the announcement with this farce. It's the arrogance again. It's the same arrogance that will probably mean that despite an improved lineup the show won't be any better due to the interminably long episodes that for some reason they insist upon doing. I wonder if it'll be back again after this series or if it'll end for political reasons?


A quick scan suggests the first three series averaged around 400k before faling to 200-250k for the last series for some reason. Not great but 400k is reasonable enough for a 10pm panel show. BBC3 have renewed shows with less.

It'll be interesting to see how he goes down. He's certainly different to Louis Walsh and I think is part of wider changes on the show. We'll have to wait and see.

I think part of the reason for choosing Grimmy is because he is a big BBC personality and that then means X-factor gets lots of exposure on the UK's biggest media outlet - the BBC. In particular the Radio 1 breakfast show, which has to be one of the largest collections of X-Factor target demographics around. We see something similar with Strictly as well, when they always have one contestant from the ITV morning chat shows to get them involved, one targetted for the red tops, one for the Daily Mail etc.

Regarding The Voice - a good line up for the judges for the next series. I am looking forward to seeing Boy George on the panel.

I know this is the Daily Mail, but just look how they describe him "the corporation has roped in ex-convict and former drug addict Boy George, 54,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...#ixzz3irIBGtmZ

They also claim from a source that Tom wanted a big wage increase, more than his current £500k salary. So I guess it could be the BBC wanting to reduce the costs, or just stop every welsh person who is a contestant wanting to be with Tom.

You would think if he wanted more money the DM would approve the BBC getting rid of him rather than bitching about it

Tom won't really be much of a loss to the programme, they just should've handled his exit better than they did. I expect he was the fall back option.

I have a feeling this is one of those line ups that sounds good on paper but won't translate well to TV. They've now got 3 'quirky' judges when they only need one. Time will tell.

Corrie 6.9m and 6.5m incl +1
ED 5.8m incl +1
EE 5.6m + 0.3m on BBC3.

Soap Ratings - for the clicky

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3...plqcy57J59apEN

Emmerdale now down to 32%, and still close between that and Eastenders. Somehow Corrie maintains it's lead - which some on here will find just plain strange.