It's not starting on Showtime until January as Claire Dane's pregnancy delayed production so it'll probably be January as well on Channel 4

Bake Off still rising? Talk about twisting the knife in Auntie's wound. Even if they'd managed to keep the dream team in tact C4 never had any hope of the show rating in the same ballpark for them, but factor in how different the show is going to be and it's fair to expect some pretty dramatic headlines about millions of viewers lost when the switch occurs.

Fantastic evening for C5 with GPs Behind Closed Doors topping 1m opposite Bake Off, Can't Pay a whisker away from 2m and Nailing the Fraudsters over 6% share. Things are going well for the channel on the whole this autumn, just a couple of weak nights where they aren't really trying anyway (not that I agree with that).

As for Porridge coming back over Goodnight Sweetheart, that would appear to be an absolutely awful call by the Beeb. But I half expected something like this to happen.

According to DS on the main page, and twitter Marks & Gran are looking to take a Goodnight Sweetheart series to another channel.

What's the likely-hood it gets a series on ITV? They have BOAF, and they need more comedy. But then the ratings weren't great. 4.2m consolidated.

8pm and 9pm has hit 1m consistently excluding and including plus 1. You have to hand to Ben Frow, he's managed to find a number of returnable hits for the channel. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are still weak but Monday to Thursday is solid.

You'd think ITV would be taking a look at Goodnight Sweetheart, it could work well for them. Could.

Any peak rating for Bake Off yet?

The only reason it got recommissioned is due to those HUGE Bake Off lead-ins, it would be a flop otherwise. But still poor considering 6.4m people switched off before it began. Geez an Anne Robinson factual doc did better last year with 5.4m, following it.

YES! I think it'd do allright on there. At least they'd give a chance and nurture it like BOAF. Thing with the BBC is, they've gone for something that if it fails it's OK to quietly get rid sort of thing.

Wouldn't shock me if it happened. Do they still show the original series on ITV3?

This is big news for Channel 5 boxing - George Groves' next fight on Friday 18th November will be shown free-to-air on the channel.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2016/10/...ive-channel-5/

Totally called that one, BBC one have literally gone back in time to 2009 for their Saturday Schedules- Having said that, Comic Relief Fame Academy used to do well as did let's dance so they probably just thought fling them together and it'll be fine

It seems BBC One is going to continue with the bare minimum of sitcoms, as it has for the last few years.

Even the draft Royal Charter (or its supporting document) says BBC One needs to make more comedy.

ITV is just going to be a dumping ground for ex BBC shows then? Shame they didn't take Bake Off too, be a full house.

Even Corrie was turned down by the Beeb was it not?

The BBC have confirmed that none of the other sitcom revivals will be back: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...eries-says-bbc

Seems like a poor call to pick Porridge as the one to return. It wasn't received exceptionally well and whilst the rating was a bit better than Goodnight Sweetheart I think the latter had more potential. If the pilot got 4.4m I can see the series proper only doing 3-3.5m.

ITV have already said they didn't bid for Bakeoff because LP could not deliver the same presenters and judges. Clearly C4 didn't listen to that.....

I used to enjoy the BBC One show "Just the Two of Us". Strictly for singing with celebrity pairups etc. Would be better than a run of the mill singing show.

Victoria is getting a Christmas special for 2017

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a8...ecial-in-2017/

Poor day for the BBC imo. I agree ref Porridge. I must admit I didn't expect the likes of Steptoe and Til Death to be storming into primetime as series as they were produced on a shoestring, rather arty, and hidden away on BBC4. Porridge was a bit more meaty but Goodnight Sweetheart actually has the original cast and a story to tell-and was easily the best received. Serve the BBC right if we end up with a successful BOAF/GS hour on ITV. I think the BBC is somehow fixated on the reaction to bringing back old comedy rather than to be seen as pushing forward -the problem being that the art of the sitcom writing for a mass pre-watershed audience appears lost.....

..........and yet we have Lets Dance! Lets Dance was a low budget mess of a format imo kept afloat only by the inspired Robert Webb and Rufus Hound whose dances kept two entire series afloat on their own. For me a backward step I certainly didn't want.

The first point shows that the light entertainment cupboard continues to be bare, that will no doubt be paired up with Pointless Celebrities and a lottery quiz.

I like The Last Leg. I also like Christmas Pudding but I wouldn't want it 40 weeks a year.

With stand up tours, Edinburgh festival, the fact that Adam Hills goes back to Australia for a period every year, I'm surprised they can even commit to 40 weeks a year. Unless they are either a) going to have guest hosts and panellists or b) going to make each edition more than an hour long.

Ultimately I bet Channel 4 would like to have a stripped schedule, like day times, where the same shows are on every week all year round.

Definitely the replacement for Downton then.

Yes and On The Buses too. They almost passed on Arthur Lowe for Dads Army apparently because he had worked on Coronation Street, and that type of show was, seemingly, beneath them.

I read the comedy news at work and nearly posted about the possibility of Goodnight Sweetheart going to ITV considering they already have a relationship with Marks and Gran via Birds of a Feather. Maybe they should go the whole hog and commission a series of The New Statesman at the same time?

Fantastic fiigure for Bake Off there once again. I wonder if the final could tip the 15m mark? Am I right in saying the BBC will still have the Christmas Specials to air after this series has finished?

Sun reporting Back in the Room has been axed

And rightly so. But ITV will still be searching for something else for Philip Schofield to front.

Remind me why Schofield is on a goldenhandcuffs deal? Its a bit like the situation with the Beeb and Nick Knowles.

Yes, although its not as big as DA, so I don't think should go on Christmas Day. But this year they have Grantchester and next year Victoria.

I wonder if Grantchester does well this Christmas, we could have one next year as well?