You have to go back to 2014 for Happy Valley. Surprised people as it turned out to be much darker and grittier than people expected. I think this series could go higher.

Happy Valley series 1 was one of the best police dramas the beebs done. Hopefully tonight will do 6.5-7m, zero competition

Possibly, early reviews seem highly positive

I think it'll do very well. Reviews have been good too. The last series opened with an overnight of 6.2m, I think. So I'll go for 6.5-7m this time after the hype.

I just hope there isn't a Broadchurch-esque online backlash this time. It was unnecessary the last time and essentially just boiled down to the press latching onto some colourful tweets and blowing it out of proportion. Happy Valley 1 didn't reach Broadchurch levels of hype so hopefully that will mean it avoids the knives this time around.

Gosh, you're right. It doesn't feel like nearly two years ago though, does it?


The slot is ideal. I think it could top 6m in the overnights which would be fantastic.

DTC is a overrated producer, his done everything he could but it not working. The episodes are boring and like any excitement.

I think it migh high 6- 7.3, I can't wait for it.

We were blessed in 2014 because we had Happy Valley and Line Of Duty 2. Two of the best police dramas in years.

This year we have Happy Valley and Line Of Duty 3 (which has had great reviews for episode 1).

They could do very well this year.

I think Happy Valley 2 was pushed back as Sally Wainwright was working on Last Tango In Halifax. It should do well again in the Tuesday slot. The Real Marigold Hotel will suck up a few viewers too. Now THERE'S an unexpected hit!

EastEnders has been on top form recently.

Corrie is dire but still gets good ratings!

So who is right? I do think DTC is running out of tricks though.

I think what's most unexpected about that is how well the same-week repeat is doing! The total audience for this is huge...

1 THE REAL MARIGOLD HOTEL (TUE 2101) 4.13 n/a
14 THE REAL MARIGOLD HOTEL (SAT 2111) 1.77 n/a

Can't even see Top Gear doing that well for BBC Two across all its showings. Not beyond the first episode anyway.

Top Gear used to get 5/6m for the Sunday edition then another a million for a repeat a few days later at 7pm. BBC2 are missing it.

I think the resurrected Robot Wars might do better than the all new Top Gear.

Dan Walker replacing Bill Turnball on BBC Breakfast.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...me=na&ns_fee=0

Emmerdale also took a dip before and post Christmas but has just started to become excellent again since the beginning of February. There have been signs of improvement with CS but in terms of quality is still the weakest of the big 3. (Obviously not in terms of ratings) ITV must thank their lucky stars. EE has been on fire since Christmas, but has gone of the boil this week. Its the nature of the beast. The high to middle 6 million is respectable for EE and think it will stop there for the rest of Winter and Early Spring? with a 29-32% share.

Dancc, do you know how The Saturday Show is doing on C5?

An unexpected choice.

"...even looking forward to setting my alarm clock..." Don't think I believe you there, Dan.


Last we heard it wasn't doing great. Not much more than 100,000 IIRC.

They had three CBB finalists on Saturday's episode, so maybe it picked up a bit. cylon might know.

I was moaning about this the other day. This week's episode is also repeated at 10pm on Tuesday, and then next week it's not on at all. Dear Channel Four, WHEN IS THIS PROGRAMME ON.


If that were the case it would have been getting several million more viewers when it was on in the morning.


The other reason for the success of A Woman Of Substance was because ITV, who of course had a financial interest in C4 doing well in those days because they sold the adverts, deliberately held off from showing big programmes against it. I've got the TV Times for that week - it was stripped nightly on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and one of the nights ITV showed a documentary about 100 Years Of The Times, and on another they showed Bloopers, an outtake compilation from US TV. Can't remember off hand what they showed on the other night but it was all fairly soft competition. And BBC1 were stripping the period spy drama Wynne and Penkovsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greville_Wynne) which was fairly esoteric viewing.


A good choice, I think, my mum found him very appealing when he did it the other week. The housewives' choice, I reckon.

Richard Klein is leaving ITV!

Probably for the best as he just couldn't find enough popular factual hits for a mainstream ITV audience.

Morecambe and Wise in Night Train to Murder

I wouldn't fancy driving from Sheffield to Salford on a winter's morning at 3 a.m.

I think Dan Walker is a good choice, he's a good broadcaster and you felt his stand-in stint a few weeks back was a tryout. And he passed that test in my opinion.

Was that the second showing of it? I think Night Train To Murder (as bad as it was), rated well first time out.

First Dates is all over the place, rare to see Channel 4 do BBC2 style haphazard scheduling, but the 9pm editions have done well.


I remember the days of ITV promoting Channel 4 programming fairly regularly. It used to be very amicable between them back then.

Thanks for the Deal or No Deal ratings earlier, by the way. At that level no wonder it has been axed.

Dan Walker is a good choice for BBC Breakfast and has appeared on there quite a bit at weekends so has experience of the show.

X Files ratings were strong and the show fun to see again - even if it felt like just picking up after the last episode 14 years ago with little sense of character movement. But then nobody watches this show for characters. It's all about the conspiratorial twaddle - which also is in stasis even if many who once believed in this stuff have moved on to more sophisticated ideas nowadays. Well in the UK at least.

Though I do love looking out for the real life tidbits they toss into the script. Last night most will have assumed that Kelly Cahill who was a key part of the story was made up. But she is very real. I have met her when we both lectured in Washington and been out to the location of her encounter near Melbourne where she was probed up the Dandenongs.

Muldur should have used that line!

Being just 6 episodes will really help this show retain a good audience and I gather Chris Carter has said that plans for a new movie are now gone and that the series could return. If the cast are willing then I am sure the US figures all but guarantee it. But they should do a short run next time, too. Do not be tempted to over egg the pudding - as when you analyse this show it is very soggy in the middle and you can enjoy a few mouthfuls but would get sick of a whole plateful.

As for the BBC taking Flockstars....the only way that would work is if they revive the format and get celebs that people love to hate (Piers Morgan etc) and dress them up as sheep or goats or antelopes and then invite the public to battle it out to dress up as a sheepdog or a trainer with a whip and get charged with the job of rounding them up.

That could be entertaining.

Sad to see The Good Wife ending (great show) but I think it was a nice touch that CBS announced this live on air and have given a heads up to everyone involved so it can get a proper closure. After 7 series it seems the right time to end.

Oh, and finally, on The Voice this Saturday we have the first openly trans singer in the show (or any of these talent shows as far as I am aware) - a pre op trans woman called Jordan.