Apart from today.

ITV cannot ask the BBC to not clash Strictly with The X Factor then dump The X Factor over Strictly's 'usual' time slot.

And that's not even going into Emmerdale v EastEnders.

Do ITV own the production company who makes The Voice UK yet or is that still in process?


Fair point; though that was a bit of one upmanship after Fincham moaned about Strictly and The X Factor clashing.

Some call it spin. Some call it childish tit-for-tat.

Tbh EastEnders would fare better against The X factor. EastEnders seems to be high 5's when going out against BGT. Maybe the reason EastEnders is hurt more against Emmetdale is because it starts 30mins later. I think the story would be different if The two soaps aired at the same time with no head start.If the BBC agress to keep Xf and Strictly apart then ITV have to agree with the soaps too.

I think this is just an impossible situation. This year in particular (with the RWC) it will be nigh on impossible for Strictly and X Factor to avoid one another in such a way that ITV/BBC would be happy with their schedules so ITV aren't going to try. They then can't expect the BBC to move Strictly out of its usual slot.

Even if EE/ED clashes were stopped by ITV, the BBC still wouldn't move Strictly, so that argument from the Beeb is pure nonsense. It's all petty nonsense with no actual foundation and nobody wins in the end.

I think the difficultly in Strictly and The X Factor avoiding one another is blown completely out of proportion, as is Emmerdale and EastEnders avoiding one another.

Strictly airs to finish by 8pm
The X Factor doesn't start before 8pm

Emmerdale and EastEnders stick to their usual slots.

With Saturday out of the equation The X Factor airs a one hour show on Sunday and one hour on Monday.

It was okay for the itv to schedule emmerdale against eastenders 5 to 10 years ago but both soaps are weak now so there no need for the clashes.

To be honest even five to ten years ago was it even necessary?

Normally if a journalist asks you a question, you answer it last time I checked.

Except if you're a football manager. Then it's either 'no comment' or 'I didn't see it'.

That's a new one on me I have to say. You generally do everything you can not to answer it .

I'm going to argue that it's not that simple. It means disrupting Corrie in the build-up/aftermath of a live episode and at a time when soap disruptions are frequent anyway. This then makes avoiding soap clashes more difficult if you expect them to do that too. Also you'll have programmes already designed to go in certain slots. The X Factor is a weekend show and that's where viewers expect to find it. It's technically possible to avoid clashes but it's not realistic.

Oh and it's great to see the thread abuzz again .

This thread reads as though it is 1980's. Folks record what they want to watch. Shows like XF need to be watched about 20/25 mins after they start to avoid adverts. I don't watch XF but for last few series watched DOI 30mins late and Downton 20 mind late. EE/EM clash. Depends what time I started to watch Emmerdale. If 15 mind late will watch full hour. If less will switch across to EE and then back to finish recording of EM to avoid having to watch adverts.

If they had planned ahead (it's not as though the Rugby World Cup has appeared out of nowhere) they could have ensured no disruption to the episodes around the Coronation Street live episode. Indeed, some would argue the Callum storyline could have done with more speed and less dragging out. In terms of the soap clashes, people have already said they could have stuck Emmerdale at 7pm and 8pm with Coronation Street at 8.30pm so that's easily dealt with.

The X Factor being a weekend show is a fairer argument but as long as it's promoted I don't think a Monday show would hurt it too much. But if they have to air it on a Sunday for two hours they can't moan at the BBC for creating clashes and then form one (or more) themselves.

It may be a petty childish argument that's been made every year for the last few but it has woken the thread up.


And yet... shows take a hit when clashes take place. Whilst maybe not such a heavy hit as they would do in the 1980s they still are hit.

Very true Itv clash emmerdale with eastenders but never corrie. Corrie is always getting special treatment. Also ITV are hypocrites when eastenders and corrie starts to clash against each other they ask BBC not to because it would damage both shows.

Wasn't there a clash between EE and Corrie not that long ago (engineered by ITV)? It was a one off but in their current states Corrie would trounce EE. It'd be in big trouble if those clashes were regular.

Unfortunately its abuzz with the same old tired argument about clashes.

As it was in its heyday which everyone conveniently forgets. Yawn.

Hmm whether 'heyday' is the right word I'm not sure but I think when the thread was at it's busiest... I wouldn't necessarily say 'best' but busiest... then BBC v ITV was a key pillar of debate.

Yes I wondered if that was the right word to use . I found it unbearable back then tbh .

Just thinking about it, this thread has an awful lot in common with The X Factor. People getting tired of the same old controversy and then deserting it in their droves .

And the same old things being said, rapidly losing their meaning (yes, I'm thinking about Louis Walsh with that one).

There is a gentlemens agreement between bbc and itv so corrie and eastenders dont clash

Why corrie but not emmerdale.

Thats very true but does not make it anymore enjoyable. Bring back Samuel I say now he really did get up peoples noses.

^Did you just agree with your own post yorkie? .