http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35167041

ITV will be vulnerable next year without DA and its CS lead in. DA has really helped them in the last few years as their biggest drama has given them their best rating on Christmas Day. It's possible, unless ITV find a big film premiere or possibly twist Ant and Dec's arms to make a Christmas Takeaway, they will be found wanting and could be stuck with two soaps to keep a presence in the top ten. Yet for now ITV can rest easy as their night time proved a success and something they need after a truly terrible year where bad luck( England in the RUWC) and some days of sub 2 million ratings have hurt them.

There have been two GBBO celebrity specials (Comic/Sport Relief), from memory neither delivered outstanding figures - not helped by there being just a few bakes from each celebrity, no "Final" and no real connection between each programme (each programme had a different group of celebs).

And when the BBC has broadcast GBBO Class of 20xx (looking back at bakers from previous series and at what they are doing now), interest has been much lower.

A 3:10pm slot for Dr Who will never happen, the last time the BBC showed anything other than an animated film in that slot was Noel's Christmas Presents I believe.

It's been pointed out to me that the mark-up for the last three links I posted was broken. Apologies - it's too late to go back and edit the post now, so here's a fixed version for anyone who wants it:

1997 - "The great TV ratings war" (preview feature)
1998 - "Lads top telly ratings"
1999 - "Honours even for Christmas ratings"
2000 - "Street wins festive ratings fight"
2001 - "Del Boy triumphs in Christmas ratings"
2002 - "BBC dominates Christmas viewing"
2003 - "Fools and Horses 'top Christmas show'"
2004 - "BBC wins Christmas ratings fight"
2005 - "BBC wins Christmas TV ratings war "
2006 - "Vicar of Dibley tops Christmas TV"
2007 - "EastEnders tops Christmas ratings"
2008 - "Wallace and Gromit top TV ratings"
2009 - "EastEnders tops 2009 Christmas Day ratings"
2010 - "EastEnders wins Christmas Day viewing figures battle"
2011 - "EastEnders wins Christmas Day TV ratings battle"
2012 - "Christmas Day television ratings topped by EastEnders"
2013 - "Doctor Who regeneration tops Christmas Day TV ratings"
2014 - "Queen tops combined Christmas Day viewing figures"

Plus, would there be an episode of Sherlock ready for transmission next Christmas (or maybe even NYD) anyway, given that production isn't even supposed to start until April or thereabouts.

May I suggest the Sleigh Ride next year for ITV, Could get a audience because of nothing else on. Funny thing that programme on BBC Four was actually the best thing on the BBC at Christmas.

Well, you have if you have satellite or cable film channels, or you have bought the DVD! As for everyone else .......



It gives people another opportunity to watch something that they might have missed (or had a schedule clash), just like the obvious demand that exists for a +1 channel.

Agreed, 3 hours of soap on Christmas is far too much. It's not like they're on enough these days..

They should go back to how they used to do it before 1998, when it was only a half hour episode on the big day. And this was back when they were getting 15 million+

No doubt Enders will do better next year, now that Downton has perished.

Still BBC1 had the majority of the Top Ten

Looking at those article links, EastEnders 'owning' Christmas and it being a tradition / winning is not that common as people think. They do have big storylines, but they don't always win the day.

Wow at Millionaire getting 11m at 10:30 at night!

Hi, it's a great game no doubt but I think I got 9/12

No worries though!
---------
EDIT, No it's right I got 8. Drat!

Not surprised at all by the figures, the only thing I watched all day was Alan Carr. I would have watched MBB too but I thought it was a repeat because I'm sure my EPG said it was about a tree with a special function which featured in a previous episode. Will have to catch up. Alan Carr was on for far too long IMO.

Both of the main channels need a shake up next year. Same old programmes.

Those viewers will just be watching this instead like most of the ratings these days:

https://loveecoliving.files.wordpres...hetv.jpg?w=462

You have proved my point. BBC1 have repeated Mrs. Brown's Boys to the point of confusion when it comes to realising what's new and what isn't. The "tree function" was just one of example of it sounding similar to previous episodes.

Also, as a side issue, when I watched MBB last night, was it me, or was Brendan O'Carroll totally without his bottom teeth?

It's something different for the big day which is what they need. I'm not necessarily convinced it'd work that well but equally I don't envisage it'd do any worse than last night and it could well do better. They could still air episode 2 on NYD to big numbers. If it didn't work then try something else next time but I don't think they can justify the same old lineup again next year.

It's worth the risk. What's the worst that can happen? One episode of Sherlock gets a worse overnight than normal. Sherlock isn't on often enough for it to be considered so important it cannot possibly move.

I guess another alternative would be to go comedy heavy:

6.30 Strictly Come Dancing
7.45 EastEnders
8.30 Still Open All Hours
9.00 ???
9.30 Car Share
10.00 Mrs Brown's Boys
10.30 McIntyre

But you're missing another big show and I like the idea of keeping Strictly at 60 mins and EE at 30. Unless they go animated movie heavy:

3.10 Monsters University
4.45 Doctor Who
5.45 BBC News
5.55 Frozen
7.30 Strictly Come Dancing
8.30 Still Open All Hours
9.00 EastEnders
9.30 Car Share
10.00 Mrs Brown's Boys
10.30 McIntyre

It's a tricky one really.

Yes I think there might be something in that. So many repeats but no new episodes might have meant people just assumed last night was another repeat. Also I think it has gotten a little bit tired and I think if they make another series it'd do very well but not as well as you might expect (6m or so). I wonder if the dreadful movie damaged the brand a bit as well?

TBF everything is poor.

Downton wins the night

Nothing above 7m - (had a feeling that might be the case)



Thanks for posting the ratings.

Gonna be interesting to see how the officials stack up now

RTE in Ireland switched Mrs Brown's Boys to Christmas Eve and it seems to have paid off. The BBC need to look hard at cleverly juggling some of their shows around between Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and not just trying to ram everything into the schedule together on Christmas night : it's just not working.

Call the Midwife should be dropped on Christmas Day. It has rated poorly 2 years in a row

Back to the discussion around Sherlock at Christmas. After I posted that there is no guarantee that Sherlock would be ready for broadcast for next Christmas, I found this:


http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sherlock...16-says-moffat

The other thing was when I looked most of the new episodes on my EPG were labelled 'New:' so I just assumed. I don't think it would have made that much difference to the rating but they definitely dropped the ball in promoting it was a new one.

I agree. Mrs. Brown's Boys could have secured a good rating for Christmas Eve on BBC1.

I would have done this for Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day for BBC1 in hindsight:

EVE:

3.50pm Finding Nemo
5.20 Pointless Christmas Celebrities
6.10 BBC News
6.30 Film: The Croods
8.00 Would I Lie to You
8.30 EastEnders
9.00 NEW: Dickensian
9.30 Catherine Tate's Nan
10.00 Mrs. Brown's Boys
10.35 Not Going Out
11.20 BBC News

DAY:

11.00 Film: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
12.25 BBC News
12.35 Professor Branestawm Returns
1.35 Top of the Pops
2.30 Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas
3.00 The Queen
3.10 Film: Brave
4.35 BBC News
4.45 Stick Man
5.15 Doctor Who
6.15 Strictly Come Dancing
7.30 Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show
8.30 EastEnders
9.00 Dickensian
9.30 Film: Mrs. Brown's Boys D;Movie

BOXING

4.45 Film: Oz: The Great and Powerful
6.45 BBC News
7.00 Celebrity Mastermind
7.30 EastEnders
8.00 Still Open All Hours
8.30 Dickensian
9.00 And Then There Were None

With Call The Midwife moving to Sunday 27th along with the Peter Kay tribute and Walliams and Friend moving elsewhere throughout Christmas.