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The Official Christmas Radio Times Countdown And Christmas TV Thread 2016


View Poll Results: Which Decade Was The Best For Christmas TV
90's 198 78.26%
00's 33 13.04%
2010's 22 8.70%
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Old 29-12-2015, 17:21
lavender50
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Mine arrived today as well. I can cope with the price increase because, in my opinion, it's a much better magazine than any of the competitors. If I only wanted TV and radio listings I could get them online without paying a penny. But I do enjoy the Radio Times and will continue to subscribe, while taking advantage of every special offer that comes along!
Bought mine today, was shocked at the 30p increase but like you i think its a much better magazine than the competition. it is a huge increase for a weekly magazine, i also find it hard to buy, some local shops only get 2 in and some retailers hide it behind the cheaper ones , i always move them, but whats that about?
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Old 29-12-2015, 17:56
Pizzatheaction
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I understand the wish to make RT as profitable as possible, but they could do that by reducing the number of pages. There's quite a lot of guff at the back of the magazine. Always a welcome relief when they drop it for Christmas, but it all comes back in January.

And they could cut another page at the front, by getting rid of Viewpoint, and Dowling whose column is still yet to raise a smile.
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Old 29-12-2015, 18:13
Allan
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...i also find it hard to buy, some local shops only get 2 in and some retailers hide it behind the cheaper ones...
It's always available in Tesco and Waitrose in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, without any problem. But I’ll continue to subscribe. I confess I subscribed a few years ago while working abroad and it cost £145 per year. Ditto TV Times. They didn’t always arrive on time, but they were a nice ‘home comfort’! So whatever they charge now I'm home is cheap by comparison!
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Old 30-12-2015, 11:56
cully83
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Sitting at work and all the ladies around me are saying how bad they thought TV was over Christmas. I found some good things to watch but I was disappointed with Dr Who and I am a big fan of that show. So if it wasn't for me being a massive movie fan I would have been struggling to find something to watch. However Stick Man was enjoyed by me and my children.
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Old 30-12-2015, 22:17
jazzydrury3
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If anybody wants a cheap cheap Digital TV Times subscription they are doung it currently for £21.99 for 12 months, and the renewal next year for the same price, I guess like with ET 60 days free offer, the deals end on Friday.

Ive just gone for the TV Times one
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Old 31-12-2015, 09:10
Allan
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Early days it’s true, but does anyone know when the 2016 Christmas Double Issue is likely to be available? In 2015 it was Saturday 5th December (London) so in 2016 I would guess Saturday 3rd (too early?) or Saturday 10th (a bit late?) I like to make a note in my iDevice Calendars, hence the question!
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Old 31-12-2015, 11:10
Claires_dad
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Early days it’s true, but does anyone know when the 2016 Christmas Double Issue is likely to be available? In 2015 it was Saturday 5th December (London) so in 2016 I would guess Saturday 3rd (too early?) or Saturday 10th (a bit late?) I like to make a note in my iDevice Calendars, hence the question!
If it's going to cover 17th - 30th December (which is normally the case) it will be Saturday 3rd ...........if it's going to cover 24th December to 6th January (unlikely but has occasionally happened in the past) it will be Saturday 10th!
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Old 31-12-2015, 11:20
wizzywick
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A New Year beckons, a continuation of me buying either What's On TV or Total TV Guide. Radio Times is way too dear per week now. But, I will be along from time to time to enjoy all our discussions and to carry out the Quiz in August. I probably won't look in now until Feb or March. Hope you all had a good Christmas and have found a nice secure place to store your 2015 RT. In the meantime, Happy New Year to you all. Catch up with you soon.
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Old 31-12-2015, 11:23
MidZone
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If anybody wants a cheap cheap Digital TV Times subscription they are doung it currently for £21.99 for 12 months, and the renewal next year for the same price, I guess like with ET 60 days free offer, the deals end on Friday.

Ive just gone for the TV Times one
Where did you get that deal?
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Old 31-12-2015, 13:30
jazzydrury3
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Where did you get that deal?
I diwnloaded the TV Times App, and the offer came up in a box on the top, It worked out as 42p a week, I saw it as a no brainer
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Old 01-01-2016, 16:17
marke09
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Why does the New Year Parade in London get no live coverage on NYD but the Lords Mayor Show does in early November?

It may not be popular outside of the capital but it would be something NEW to see on NYD and does not have to be the BBC that broadcast it
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Old 01-01-2016, 16:28
Billy_Value
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Why does the New Year Parade in London get no live coverage on NYD but the Lords Mayor Show does in early November?

It may not be popular outside of the capital but it would be something NEW to see on NYD and does not have to be the BBC that broadcast it
It was shown live on showcase tv
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Old 01-01-2016, 17:15
marke09
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It was shown live on showcase tv
oh thanks for that will have to watch out for it next year
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Old 02-01-2016, 00:07
marke09
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So that is Christmas and New Year TV done for another year and our TV listings mags get put in the cupboard to join the others or put in the bin

So your general thoughts please on what we have just watched 9or not) and hopes for next Christmas

What went wrong (looking at the figures quite a lot as nothing so far has had over 7 million in overnights)
What went right?
Where have the viewers gone?
Could the BBC with the cuts on the way decide what's the point of spending millions on special programmes if no one is going to watch them?

Also your Nominations please for

The Best programme on TV Christmas 2015

Most Disappointing programme on TV Christmas 2015 (thats one you were looking forward to but was a let down)

Most surprising progamme ( the one you didnt expect to like but did)
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Old 02-01-2016, 09:49
Allan
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If it's going to cover 17th - 30th December (which is normally the case) it will be Saturday 3rd ...........if it's going to cover 24th December to 6th January (unlikely but has occasionally happened in the past) it will be Saturday 10th!
Thank you Claires_dad. Countdown for 3rd December now entered in all iDevices!
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Old 02-01-2016, 10:45
Allan
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Exactly a year ago today, on 2nd January 2015, Pedrok wrote in the 2015 thread http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...1#post76284003 :

“Anyway, before we know it Easter will have come and gone, the May bank holidays will be past, the tans from the summer will have faded, Halloween and Guy Fawkes night will be but a memory, Wizzywick will have run the pre front cover competition and Claires_dad will have opened the legendary guess the front cover competition. The time will fly by!”

At the time I commented: “Never, ever were truer words spoken!” And I was right. I don’t know where 2015 went. It was as though someone had edited a chunk of the year out and joined the remaining parts together perfectly. Known in the business as an ‘invisible edit’!

And here we go again, with all Pedrok’s landmarks to come. And to go. Frighteningly quickly! Happy New Year to one and all.
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Old 02-01-2016, 15:38
wizzywick
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So that is Christmas and New Year TV done for another year and our TV listings mags get put in the cupboard to join the others or put in the bin

So your general thoughts please on what we have just watched 9or not) and hopes for next Christmas

What went wrong (looking at the figures quite a lot as nothing so far has had over 7 million in overnights)
What went right?
Where have the viewers gone?
Could the BBC with the cuts on the way decide what's the point of spending millions on special programmes if no one is going to watch them?

Also your Nominations please for

The Best programme on TV Christmas 2015

Most Disappointing programme on TV Christmas 2015 (thats one you were looking forward to but was a let down)

Most surprising progamme ( the one you didnt expect to like but did)
What Went Wrong:

Whilst the programming was generally topnotch, the Christmas Day schedules are now uninspiring with the same as same old formula. All the programmes were unmissable, but you could afford to miss them on Christmas Day. There was no main event to draw us all in as a nation. The main day was let down by an overtly weak Christmas Eve. Mastermind, Celebrity or otherwise, is not the right show to launch Christmas Eve evening with. They should have had a film on to launch the night and then also launch episode one of Dickensian after EastEnders too. BBC1 had too much on in my opinion. Of course that isn't a bad thing, but at Christmas, TV is like a pick 'n' mix where we want to watch standalone shows or movies that interest us. I don't think that people should be expected to invest in an entire evenings schedule just to catch the best of what's on. Not at Christmas.

What Went Right:

The consolidated ratings suggest that the programmes shown were popular enough with the audience, but not necessarily on the days they were scheduled. So, the programming itself was what went right.

Where have the viewers gone?:

Nowhere. They just can't be bothered to invest time in the tired, uninspired schedules. If 12m people can tune into a firework display on New Year's Eve, then it proves that if something is on that we want to watch, we'll watch it, a la Bake Off.

Could the BBC with the cuts on the way decide what's the point of spending millions on special programmes if no one is going to watch them?


The BBC will always bother at Christmas. It is a key period for them. They can entice new viewers with a varied schedule and next Christmas the BBC will be back on top. The cuts are not going to affect BBC One enough for the audience to notice anything.

Best Programme on during Christmas 2015:

Dickensian. A great shame no one is watching it.

Most Disappointing programme on TV Christmas 2015 (thats one you were looking forward to but was a let down)

And Then There Were None. Very well made but very dark and actually rather grim. I wanted it more whimsical I suppose.

Most surprising progamme ( the one you didnt expect to like but did)

Oz: The Great and Powerful. The most magical programme of the entire festive season. Snow Chick is a close second.
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Old 02-01-2016, 16:03
marke09
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THANKS WIZZY CAN ALWAYS RELY ON YOU FOR A COMPREHENSIVE INPUT

these ratings from the ratings thread first consolidated figures for Christmas Day

Downton Abbey - 10.5m/10.9m including +1 (+3.92m/+4.02m)
Mrs Brown's Boys - 9.5 (+3.09m)
Call The Midwife - 9.3 (+3.50m)
Stick Man - 9.3 (+2.94m)
Doctor Who - 7.7m (+2.00m)

Just goes to show people will now watch WHEN they want to watch but fantastic figure foe stick man )is that the best figure for an animation thats bee> gruffalo Room on the Broom etc )
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Old 02-01-2016, 16:05
marke09
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some good figures for BBC One last night

New Years Day 2015 - Overnights
BBC One
16:30 - FILM: Wreck-It Ralph: 3.50m (19.3%)
18:05 - BBC News: 6.90m (33.8%)
18:20 - BBC Regional News: 7.69m (36.6%)
18:30 - EastEnders: 7.24m (31.5%)
19:00 - Billionaire Boy: 5.08m (20.7%)
20:00 - EastEnders: 8.29m (33.4%)
20:30 - Dickensian: 3.96m (16.2%)
21:00 - Sherlock: 8.41m (34.7%)
22:35 - Mrs Brown's Boys: 5.58m (31.7%)
23:10 - BBC News: 3.54m (26.3%)

BBC Two
17:55 - FILM: The Terminal: 1.52m (6.6%)
20:00 - Christmas University Challenge: 2.63m (10.6%)
20:30 - The Many Faces of Ronnie Corbett: 1.26m (5.1%)
21:30 - The One Ronnie: 0.93m (3.8%)

ITV (inc +1)
19:00 - Emmerdale: 6.25m (26.2%)
19:30 - Coronation Street: 6.95m (27.6%)
20:00 - Gino's Italian Escape - Islands in the Sun: 2.55m (10.3%)
20:30 - Coronation Street: 6.54m (26.7%)
21:00 - The Big Quiz: Coronation Street v Emmerdale: 3.20m (12.7%)
22:00 - ITV News: 2.82m (11.9%)
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Old 02-01-2016, 16:09
marke09
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Also your Nominations please for

The Best programme on TV Christmas 2015

Most Disappointing programme on TV Christmas 2015 (thats one you were looking forward to but was a let down)

Most surprising progamme ( the one you didnt expect to like but did)
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Old 02-01-2016, 19:39
pedrok
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Exactly a year ago today, on 2nd January 2015, Pedrok wrote in the 2015 thread http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...1#post76284003 :

“Anyway, before we know it Easter will have come and gone, the May bank holidays will be past, the tans from the summer will have faded, Halloween and Guy Fawkes night will be but a memory, Wizzywick will have run the pre front cover competition and Claires_dad will have opened the legendary guess the front cover competition. The time will fly by!”

At the time I commented: “Never, ever were truer words spoken!” And I was right. I don’t know where 2015 went. It was as though someone had edited a chunk of the year out and joined the remaining parts together perfectly. Known in the business as an ‘invisible edit’!

And here we go again, with all Pedrok’s landmarks to come. And to go. Frighteningly quickly! Happy New Year to one and all.
I remember my post, and your reply, very well. As yes, 2015 just flew bye. The summer just seems to have past in the blink of an eye.

Anyway, here's to a good 2016 thread, and a good 2016 to you all.
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Old 02-01-2016, 20:00
pedrok
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So that is Christmas and New Year TV done for another year and our TV listings mags get put in the cupboard to join the others or put in the bin

So your general thoughts please on what we have just watched 9or not) and hopes for next Christmas

What went wrong (looking at the figures quite a lot as nothing so far has had over 7 million in overnights)
What went right?
Where have the viewers gone?
Could the BBC with the cuts on the way decide what's the point of spending millions on special programmes if no one is going to watch them?

Also your Nominations please for

The Best programme on TV Christmas 2015

Most Disappointing programme on TV Christmas 2015 (thats one you were looking forward to but was a let down)

Most surprising progamme ( the one you didnt expect to like but did)
I wrote in my final post on the 2015 thread, yesterday morning, that I watched even less tv over the festive period than I have ever done.

I wouldn't claim to be any expert on tv scheduling and viewing habits of the public, which is why I very rarely give my guess on the tv schedules for the various nights.

So perhaps I am not the best person to give any thoughts on what went wrong, or what went right. I will say though, the Christmas night BBC1 schedule has surely run its course, as, it seems, the viewing figures were down across all programmes.

By the time we got home on Christmas night, from a family meal, I went up to bed and watched the film Exodus: Gods and Kings, which Sky premiered that night. And that was my Christmas night viewing.

I think viewers just have other things to do and things to watch now.

In saying that, Christmas is still something the broadcasters will want to do something for. For the foreseeable future!!

Best programme, well, as a family we had followed Masterchef: The Professionals throughout its run, and thought the final on Christmas Eve was good. Along with the Peter Kay programme that same night. And that was about it!

What was the most disappointing, well I not mention Sherlock, I have said enough about that elsewhere. So, I will go with, And Then There Were None. Not that it was bad, but I had really looked forward to it. When I saw it was three, hour long episodes, I started to worry. Had it been a one off, two hour programme, cutting out much of the faff, it could have been pretty good. But it just dragged.

I don't think there was any surprises, other than finding out the film The China Syndrome was being shown late one night on Channel 4, so allowed me to record it and watch it later. I hadn't seen it in years, and it is still as good.
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Old 02-01-2016, 20:04
Claires_dad
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The Best programme on TV Christmas 2015

And Then There Were None (I thought it was excellent, all 3 parts!)

Most Disappointing programme on TV Christmas 2015 (that's one you were looking forward to but was a let down)

Gert Lush Christmas was just plain dreadful

Most surprising programme ( the one you didn't expect to like but did)

Gypsy Live on BBC Four
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Old 03-01-2016, 05:48
pembo2004
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the 2015/christmas quiz will start next weekend
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Old 03-01-2016, 12:50
Pizzatheaction
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If it's going to cover 17th - 30th December (which is normally the case) it will be Saturday 3rd ...........if it's going to cover 24th December to 6th January (unlikely but has occasionally happened in the past) it will be Saturday 10th!
If it's the 3rd, only eleven months to go!
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