Again, that doesn't mean that's the feeling everywhere. I didn't bring it up actually, because the people who were on about it work in a different department. But later that day someone asked me if I was going to watch it and I've seen a lot of discussion on twitter about it.

I suppose it depends on the individual of course. If you never watched it the first time round, you probably won't be talking about it. It was like that for me and Skins. I was the right age for it, the same as the characters, but I never liked it whereas loads of people did.

I hope it does do well. I would love ITV to become the great broadcaster it once was. It is sad that it relies on the same few programmes each year to attract advertisers whereas in the past it would have been show after show, night after night that attracted the advertisers to them. If Cold Feet, Victoria and new programmes can help turn the reputation of ITV around, then that is good for everyone. I don't for one moment think Cold Feet will flop. But I just urge an air of caution when over estimating ratings. Based on the way TV is now, I'd predict 5 - 5.5 million overnights and rising to 7 in consolidated ratings. Above that and ITV will have secured a major success and made me eat my underpants!

The little clips they are using in the sitcom series trailer are mostly dire though and hardly give anyone an incentive to watch and that's before you get onto the bizarre Michael Fish business linking it together.

I could see Porridge having more legs to become a series as it was properly modernised with a new storyline. AYBS was basically modern actors doing impressions of the old cast, with an overload of pussy gags which probably didn't happen as frequently in the originals. The only bit of storyline that progressed it didn't fit very well in my opinion because Matthew Horne overacted his part a bit.

Having said that, Still Open All Hours is basically the same gags and a thin storyline every week, so AYBS could probably also return as a series and if scheduled after Countryfile would rate well as well.

AYBS could never be scheduled early evening these days. In a world where people below the age of 35 find anything and everything offensive, it wouldn't suit a pre-watershed timeslot. It's incredible that so many sitcoms in primetime 30 years ago would be unsuitable to be in the same timeslot today. Says a lot about how sensitive we've become.

Probably not as quickly or as far as it would have without the second episode being shown last night. I still don't understand why they did that. Some drama about Tutankhamun is not going to do much, so I don't see the point of hobbling Victoria for it.

I'm going to watch in a few mins. Put two hours aside to do it.

How would they explain Deborah, though? I think trying to find a comedic reason for what had happened to the character would fall flat because of the viewers knowing the health problems Leslie Ash has had.

ITV have had a good few months with launching new dramas. And that will continue with Cold Feet. More interested in new ITV drama coming up than most on BBC1 these days.

I don't know, I think Sunday's AYBS was fine to go out pre-watershed. It's obvious to anyone that she's not talking about her vagina but her cat, but it could be construed differently. The humour is from the fact that everyone but Mrs Slocombe knows how it sounds. It'd go over most kids' heads anyway and they get away with worse in the Simpsons which is shown at 6pm.

I mean they show Carry On films during the day and nobody complains. I honestly don't think anyone would have a problem with AYBS being on at 8 or 8:30. Especially when there's worse in your average episode of EastEnders.

I can't blame them for wanting a bit of variety though. It's good to see ITV really making an effort with lots of new content on. Plus, giving Victoria a Monday slot this week meant they didn't have to show filler until Cold Feet starts. Also, the added bonus that it gives Victoria a 2 episode lead over Poldark, which might put new viewers off starting Poldark and they'll stick with a show they've seen more episodes of and enjoyed.

Anyway, I have a potential tidbit of news. A company we work with regularly are trying to get the contract to produce a new version of the Fort Boyard format. Obviously it's probably just a pilot but are there any bets on what channel it might be on? I'd love for it to be Five but I can't see it.

Maybe ITV as they already do/did a kids version

I don't know why someone hasn't had another go before. It's a very successful format and cheap to produce because, like Total Wipeout, every country uses the same set and camera crew. The only thing you need to sort out is editing and your producers, as well as contestants. I think it's cheap compared to most game shows.

I can see the first episode reaching 8m.

Out of interest, why did ITV show the first two episodes over 2 nights? Sunday is going to be it's normal day so seems odd to start with two episodes. I can't recall them using this strategy before. Is it purely cos they want it to rate opposite Poldark and they thought launching it with two episodes over two nights was the best way to go?!

I do think it's to do with Poldark. Until the BBC announced Poldark as starting that week, I think Victoria was slotted in to start that weekend as well. Instead they decided to move it a week earlier and do it over 2 nights as a way of getting the jump on Poldark I think. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday next week should be really interesting with the return of Strictly, Poldark and Cold Feed starting.

I have two thoughts on this.

One - ITV started Victoria last night to get a jump on Poldark but then saw this put it up the revived sitcoms, and thinking that they might do better than they did (remembering how well the Still Open All Hours one-off did) they run episode 2 the next night up against what looked like much weaker competition in Thor.

Alternatively - and more likely - it's to make some space to fit in the 4-part Tutankhamen on Sunday nights before I'm A Celebrity returns.

Sorry to sound like the thread police, but I'm uneasy about discussions like this. Posters do have a life outside this forum and if they don't post here for a while for whatever reason, it's their own business. If I ever stop posting here for a while I don't particularly like the idea of people speculating why.


I've seen far more promotion for Are You Being Served and Porridge than the other two, the picture of the AYBS cast was everywhere I looked and Kevin Bishop was on The One Show the other day talking about it. I don't think any programmes shown at 9pm on a Sunday on BBC1 can ever be called "burn offs". There are certainly more people around then than on a Friday.


Yes, I quite enjoyed this series, I know the whole thing was pretty similar to Outnumbered but I liked the cast and there were some nice bits in it. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a series for it to be on BBC1, I think it could work perfectly well there. Wasn't it strange it was only 25 minutes long, though?


I would agree with all that, I think Are You Being Served was too much of a tribute to Are You Being Served to have a life of its own, more or less all of the cast were doing impressions. It was a fun idea for a one-off but I can't imagine it being able to sustain a full series. Whereas Porridge was a more obviously self-contained series which could continue if required with enough new jokes and ideas. Though obviously it will forever pail in comparison to the original series.



Well, it's not so much that they couldn't schedule Are You Being Served pre-watershed, but that they probably wouldn't, because they generally don't show sitcoms pre-watershed. That's not necessarily because of the content but just because schedules have changed. I mean, they once showed a new series of Dad's Army in the seventies at 6.50 on a weekday, no chance they would do anything like that these days, it would be totally throwing it away. Similarly they used to show Doctor Who at five o'clock on regular Saturdays. But in those days people came home from work earlier, watched telly earlier and went to bed earlier. I have a very short commute and I still don't feel like sitting down and concentrating on telly by 7pm. The nation generally goes to bed later and watches telly later. You can't compare schedules now to the seventies and eighties because as a society we are different.

I also wouldn't necessarily agree yesterday's sitcoms couldn't air pre-watershed, a lot of the post-watershed sitcoms of the past could now happily play pre-watershed. There are jokes you can't tell now but there were jokes you couldn't tell then. You certainly wouldn't have got Vicious at 9pm on ITV. It would either be very, very late (French and Saunders' first ever TV show, a pilot for C4 in 1983, was screened at 11.30 because of one rude word) or, more likely, not on at all.

Not sure if anyone saw it but "Home from Home" was my favourite of the sitcom pilots so far. Beautifully written and acted, and nice to see 'straight' actors like Emilia Fox paired with comedy actors like Johnny Vegas. It's a good plot which I could see having mileage as well. Plus there's opportunity for character development as we'll only be seeing the characters each time they visit the lodge, which allows for stuff to progress off screen. Hope it goes to series.

BIB - It's Not Me It's You is growing, audience wise. Its' finding its' feet at long last.

Maybe they are waiting for TruTV's rights to expire?

Except that really Poldark has had an eight episode head start on Victoria.


I've just watched the first two New On Two sitcoms back-to-back and I preferred The Coopers Verses The Rest. It definitely channeled Outnumbered but was none the worse for that. I found it charming and likeable and, most importantly, funny - or funny enough to like at any rate.

Home From Home was harder to warm to, but if it went to series I'd probably watch, although not 100% I'd still be watching by the end of the run.

Programme yes, channel no.

Suspects is level with the previous week, which is good.

It may hit 1m for it's season finale, then you can guarantee it's coming back..... Hopefully back on Channel 5 itself.....

Re Cold Feet, let's not forget it was never a monster ratings hit in 1990s/early 2000s terms. The ratings are all there on Wikipedia and it was basically a 7-8m moderate success not a 10-13m+ leviathan. True it got its best numbers for the short s5 wrap up with 10m+ for the last ever episode.

But that's the start point, the peak. It would be odd if the series got some of its best ever figures for a 10 years on slightly unnecessary and desperate revival, so you kind of think it's in the 6-7m bracket at absolute best.