Allowing for the length of the show, the need to allow for votes to be cast and collated, the results show to be run & recorded, and to allow for the studio complex to be vacated in good time (especially for the audience who need to collect phones & belongings and exit the area safely), the initial shows of 2hrs or longer cannot start too late. Scheduling directly in primetime would probably have to take second place to those practical considerations.

Yawn...you folk have obviously run out of original things to say.
It's up YOY, that really shows viewer alienation doesn't it?

Sorry- on topic- but a day late! Does anyone know the ratings for Graham Norton's show on Friday?

You're joking?

What's the joke?

Completely agree.

They both have that.

That JLS are a great talent😆😆

It was quite striking looking at mid 90's Casualty and seeing 18 million figures the other day. Up there with a number of huge ITV returnable populist drama's in the same era. Casualty is the only survivor but it seems rather sad to be saying its "doing a job" with 4 million and a bit. Better than ITV though which is a desert outside X Factor.

Good result for Strictly bearing in mind a 6.20 start and gargantuan length. I don't know what has gone on with the "controversy" so this is probably wide of the mark, but I will say that I suspect the voting figures for many celebs would have been negligible as the public would have thought they would get through based on judges scores. Its so easy to slip into dance off territory.

Its hard to know what to think of XF, people do a great job in unearthing year on year figures I guess anyone can spin a opinion based on one of them. I would say the figure inclusive of the repeat is solid not spectacular. The test will be the pulling power of the chosen few in the elongated performance shows. Its not really just a test of X Factor but a test of talent formats in general.

I said they're were not the better singers.

Well they were to be fair. One thing you can't criticise X Factor for is the lack of stars it's has produced. The likes of Olly Murs and Little Mix are still doing incredibly well.

Sorry, if I misunderstood you😀😀

Many people in this thread would have enjoyed the "Grimmy Reaper" sketch on Newzoids last night, based around the negative effect he has on TV and radio viewing and listening figures.

And yet they can push Strictly back to 19.45 next week? I think the lack of Match of the Day is a flimsy excuse going forward:

17.55 Michael McIntyre's Big Show
18.45 Strictly Come Dancing
20.45 Casualty
21.35 Mrs. Brown's Boys
22.05 Lottery
22.15 News
22.30 Match of the Day

With the longer shows they could just drop Mrs. Brown's Boys and have Strictly finish by 9.20pm. Film a lot of the results show before the main show and they should be fine.

Not that I want them to move it any later; my feelings on Strictly and The X Factor not clashing have been made clear over the years. But I can't see the reason why the BBC can't turn the screw further on ITV should they wish to do so... particularly after next week's scheduling.

Yep. Olly is a great TV presenter

This is important though - Strictly is far more adept at covering up the manipulation and trying to sway the public than The X Factor is. The latter is far too obvious now.

And I'm not saying that as a criticism of Strictly at all. It's a Saturday night light entertainment show. There's going to be some pushing of storylines or fun routines to keep viewers invested.

The Voice probably produces better vocalists but they all bomb. I guess it's the difference between Barlow and Robbie, pop music success is about the whole package.

Ed Balls is on SCD for his, errr, package.

Exactly.

No worries. I'm off to Spain to escape this.

Three number one LPs and a new one coming out. He wishes his TV career was as good.

ITV would just put The X Factor on at 7pm as well. It would hurt both shows.

Maybe 18:45 for a 2-hr Strictly is right on the limit (bearing in mind the original suggestion was 7pm).


They certainly film the guest artist and probably the group dance too. Not much else as many of the inserts are either from training footage, dance compilations, or backstage (all recorded).

Going by contributions on the Strictly forum from people who have attended the Saturday show, it does take some time to set everything up for the results show (allowing for voting & collation/verification of figures) and they leave the Elstree complex pretty late (post-10:15/10:30 usually after belongings & phones have been collected, sometimes later if there have been technical issues requiring reshoots). This exit has to be timed with public transport options too.



I think that practicalities and audience well-being should be the primary concern, even if ITV' & XF might appear to be an attractive target ratings-wise. The BBC would also be unwise to be so blatant as to get into a ratings war "just because they can".

When the shows have reduced in length sufficiently then of course there would be more room to manoeuvre (next week's is 5 mins shorter btw)

When did I mention TV presenting? 🙄

Like it or not (I'm presuming not), Murs is still a No.1 artist and is very successful.

The producers think they're being smart with these live show choices but whos gonna choose to stay in on a Saturday to watch those two s*** freaks that Louis put through??Having seen the live show acts, I believe the reaction tonight to the judge's decisions will be even more angry than it was to last nights farce.Removing talent for unfunny unentertaining sh** rightly pisses people off.

Quite.

Random fact: Only two Brits have topped the UK singles chart this year.

Both of them from X Factor (1D's Zayn and James Arthur)

Probably says more about how woeful the British music industry is than The X Factor being good, but still.