Any rating for Would I Lie To You?

Seems quite low based on not appearing in the top three, so perhaps a poor lead in also contributed to the low GS?

Good post. Agree 100%. No doubt we'll see a few Saturdays in Autumn where Mrs. Brown's Boys gets repeated. But here's a thought BBC. How about repeating all FOUR of the sitcoms on Saturday night after Strictly instead? If they want them to work, they need to let people see them.

Surprising. I'm going to assume it's a case of other commitments in the short term for the cast/writers, as it's surely too successful to not make more. Pity if that means moving it away from Q1 where it performed so well.


Might be meaningless but I noticed whilst browsing on Amazon yesterday that the Cold Feet collection box set was very promiment in the DVD / Blu-Ray chart.

Always hard to gauge whether or not the time is right for something like this but could be a good sign that ITV's marketing is working at least.


I'm not expecting much from Newzoids there. Good idea in theory trying to make it appeal to XF viewers, but I can't see it working to any great extent. Shame really because I for one enjoyed the first series, but it lost a lot of viewers and arguably didn't deserve to come back.

Yes, I'd presume it's due to other commitments. They've given it an hour long Christmas special which I doubt they'd bother with if they wanted rid of it. It does really well so I'd definitely expect to see more. I've seen it floated around that there will be a fourth series in late 2017 so that's what I'd expect to happen. Indeed a pity that it'll mean moving, although I'm sure it'll do fine in the Autumn. It'll make that Thursday 8.30pm slot trickier for them early next year though.


I think the marketing has been good. I've seen it all over Manchester (perhaps unsurprisingly as that's where it's set) and I do think they've promoted it well. It's just whether the appetite is there. As I say, I'm predicting 6-6.5m on Monday, but where it settles after that is anyone's guess really.


I'd agree with that. The ratings didn't justify the renewal but given that last year the slot only went to Through The Keyhole which didn't do anything special, it's not as if it's taking the place of something much better. Worth a go I think, although given how poorly Go For It started last week it does look like X Factor has once again found itself on an island surrounded by flops.

It wouldn't have worked with no Onslow, no Rose, and no "Daddy", and Routledge likely wouldn't have been able to do Hyacinth justice at nearly 88 years of age.

It was the day after Diana died.


Broadcast's weekly Top 100 would include children's programmes, but when they reduced it to a Top 50 in 1993 (increased to a top 70 a year later), they weren't high enough to be included so they did a Children's Top 10 but they were ranked in order of percentage of children viewing.
This is for week ending 7 September 1997:

1. Byker Grove (Repeat) (Tu 17:10) (BBC1): 13%
2. Morph TV with Tony Hart (W 16:20) (BBC1): 12%
3.= Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars (Repeat) (Tu 16:35) (BBC1): 11%
3.= It's a Mystery (W 16:35) (ITV): 11%
3.= Byker Grove (Repeat) (W 17:10) (BBC1): 11%
3.= Peter Pan and the Pirates (Repeat) (Th 16:10) (BBC1): 11%
3.= Cartoon Critters (Th 16:35) (BBC1): 11%
8.= Get Your Own Back (Repeat) (Th 08:00) (BBC2): 10%
8.= Children's BBC Presents HOT (F 07:55) (BBC2): 10%
8.= Cartoon Critters (Repeat) (F 08:00) (BBC2): 10%

Rumour has it she's still upset about it ending, because it had looked like going to a fifth series, but it didn't.

It was a more sedate role than Hyacinth, but again, it would be a big ask of someone of her age, and there was always a lot of outdoor filming, so the BBC would be looking at a significant public liability insurance bill.

Thursday 4 September 1997

ITV
19:00 - Emmerdale: 10.00m
19:30 - Survival (R) (?)
20:00 - The Bill: 9.13m
20:30 - The Big Story: 7.91m
21:00 - Taggart: 7.82m
22:00 - News at Ten: 8.64m

BBC1
17:35 - Neighbours (R): 5.97m
18:00 - Six O'Clock News: 7.58m
18:30 - Regional news
19:00 - Watchdog with Anne Robinson: 6.48m
19:30 - EastEnders: 13.65m
20:00 - Wildlife on One (R): 6.33m
20:30 - Pilgrims Rest (?)
21:00 - Nine O'Clock News: 8.48m
21:30 - 999 International: 6.30m
22:20 - QED: Challenging Children (?)
23:15 - Film: No Escape (Premiere): 1.92m

(?) Not in the top 70 (under 6.06m)

BBC2
20:30 - Top Gear: 4.14m
21:00 - Third Rock from the Sun: 3.19m

Channel 4
16:30 - Countdown: 3.27m

Channel 5
21:00 - Film: Runaway (R): 1.15m

Sky 1
20:00-21:00 - Third Rock from the Sun: 0.42m

Missing...Doctor Who...BBC1 looks bare post 8.15 pm tonight, handing the high SCD audience to XF. Whilst DW can be a bit niche, it's a good alternative to XF.

The Lottery show is not going to hold the audience, Casualty will have to work a bit harder at 9.10 to win back viewers.

If XF doesn't get a bounce due to SCD handing its audience over at 8.15 then it has very serious fundamental problems.

BBC1 needs something to plug the gap left by the absence of DW, and should have done something rather than go back to the lottery game shows.

A nice drama, like past hits, Duchess of duke street or Juliet Bravo, or All Creatures great and small. Would have been a good investment.

Even putting the second showing of Wreck it Ralf, on a bit later and pointless post SCD would be an idea.

Funny Robbiesykes was saying only earlier this week the two comedies last night had the most promotion out of all of them.

Which is why I suggested they repeat all four of the sitcom specials - one for each week. To put them out immediately after Strictly could have been a good way to garner more interest.

It's an idea.. An option..but a quick repeat would get bad publicity like the recent repeats of Skyfall, maybe those sitcoms, could get a repeat on Saturdays later in the year or Christmas fillers like Wallace and Grommet,

I think thry did a " satisfactory " job as alternatives to Victoria and Lady C, but a quick repeat would bring in dire ratings.

Maybe " Class" should have been online on BBC3 by now and repeated on BBC1 Saturdays, say at 6 pm, it's a risk but that's what the BBC should do and releases Pointless for later. I think DW crossovers with class in the class series and the DW Christmas special may however prevent that.

Are the Lottery quiz shows going to continue when the live part of Strictly begins ? I wonder if the BBC could schedule Strictly at 7pm, and bring the lottery shows back when Strictly's run time shortens. It would involve a direct clash with TXF, but now that the Whittingdale saga is out of the way, could healthy competition be about to return ?

Well that's tbc, we do have last night if the proms, that will fill up an evening, I think BBC/ITV are downplaying the SCD/XF clash, they seem to be co operating. In fact BBC1 currently, ' giving up at 8.15 tonight, and being very PSB on Monday at 9 pm handing Cold Feet a free reign.

Saturday night is important they need to take risks try something different, DW is " BBC" is " niche" served its purpose.

A shame for the sitcom season, which has seemed very underwhelming from a promotion or scheduling point of view. First the MBB live episode was separated from the season, then the remaining shows received dodgy promotion and wound up scattered seemingly at random across the schedules. They could have easily run last night's on Monday instead and made a bank holiday weekend event of it - with some consistent slot for the BBC2 pilots across the rest of the week. I honestly wonder what they're thinking sometimes.

Still, Goodnight Sweetheart seems to have gone down really well - they'll be delighted with all of the "fans clamour for a new series" coverage. So really, what do they have to lose by trying it?


To be fair, Doctor Who was only holding on to an overnight audience of 4 million. I'm not sure that the lottery formats will do much worse. While DW remains a flagship programme for a whole variety of reasons, it's not much of an overnight ratings weapon any longer, so I'm not sure you'll see much impact.

Well that's the point...DW is very BBC, and it's worth showing as 50% of its audience will pick it up later, it doesn't feel like BBC1 is waving a while flag, the lottery does, I think the lottery will not do as well as DW.

What is required is a bold move, a drama, like - All creatures Great and Small, or a family drama as a good alternative to XF which many of us do not want to watch, therefore the BBC should just give up.

We had the great Merlin, then the average Atlantis, then DW we need a family drama.

The drama " Our Zoo" was burnt off in the wrong slot, that could have been a Saturday night drama, and as said, " Class" but as a BBC3 show needs to be on 3 first, and there are cross overs, The Doctor in Class at a point, and Class in DW at Christmas, which may make the time of the schdule more important for October.

I agree, as Goodnight Sweetheart was the only one that was a new episode of the same show with the same cast, I see no reason why it had to air during the "sitcom season" with no promotion whatsoever. They could have just done sitcom season with 3 new shows.

Would have been better as maybe a 45 min episode on Boxing Day rather than shoved on air on a random summer Friday.

Airing the shows in two blocks back to back wasn't a great idea either. Should maybe have paired them all up with HIGNFY in the autumn. Shows how 30 min shows are so hard to schedule in the 9pm hour when 90% of shows here and opposite are an hour long.

Any guesses as to how Our Girl will do on Wednesday? I'm thinking it'll do pretty well because Doctor Foster showed last year that people have an appetite for a bit of gripping and soapy drama after a baking show, and I think Our Girl fits that. I just don't know if Michelle Keegan is a viable replacement for Lacey Turner, but who knows?

Wouldn't the absence of Lacey Turner make it more watchable

Did you there are channels called BBC2, C4, Ch5 and many more. Its not just BBC1 and ITV. You don't have to watch BBC1, and BBC1 solely.

I know the lottery quizzes are tedious, but the BBC seem to think these are worthy of an almost year round broadcast. Despite being poor, they will still likely top 4m viewers even though many do not watch them any other time all year.

I think the BBC should rpt all the recent comedies revivals at Christmas in an early evening slot. Scheduling the two at 9pm on Sunday just felt like the BBC trying to dent Victoria. They know hoe well SOAH did, so why not?

But personally I think Goodnight Sweetheart deserves a full series based on viewers responce, but I also think Porridge should be given a try.

AYBS? & Young Hyacinth should be left well alone.

Our Zoo was hardly 'burnt off'. Scheduled directly after Bake-Off. It didn't need to be 9pm material. 8pm on Sunday after SCD it could be pulled in well over 5m, perhaps 6m.

Well despite your point of view on her acting, I think she was part of the appeal of the show. She brought in viewers who knew her from EastEnders. Not sure if Michelle Keegan will do the same.

I personally enjoyed AYBS. It was fun to watch although the pussy jokes just needed to be reduced a little. I wouldn't go to a full series with it though. Maybe just have it turn up at Christmas for a one off

The BBC could look at the numbers for the four comedies, consider AYBS to be the hit with the most viewers and to be in a similar, non swearing vein as MBB. They may think that is the way to go forward as the higher number of viewers want it - full series?

I know national lottery game shows can be dull but 5 star family reunion is the worst of them all

That comment is very condescending and not worthy of further comment.

I could list all the shows from other channels I have watched and shows from BBC1 I haven't watched this very week which would make this a long post.

I have watched Ch5 shows and posted on threads about them, I do not have to Justify what I do/ do not watch to you.

You have made an incorrect assumption.


Our Zoo, - burnt off, yes agree the slot was good, it's more that a better slot would be like All Creatures, and burnt off, after just one series, it deserved a follow up, the ratings didn't set the world alight, but also were not disappointing. I agree Sunday at 8 would add 1/2 million but everything can't be shown there.

Agree, Dale and "In it to win it" is best, and I liked Jetset the best. ( Emmon Holmes).