But that's their job - they're broadcasters/TV presenters. And many of these LE shows will be filmed in just a few weeks. Victoria Coren Mitchell spent the whole six months of the last series of Only Connect because it was all filmed over a three week period (or something).

The last series of Catchphrase was just 8 editions long, so that would probably have been filmed over 2 or 3 days, giving Stephen another 362 days to film other projects.

Well you are wrong saying he is barely competent. He's got about 20 years of live TV under his belt. There are many worse who are wooden or wouldn't be able to cope without being chained to an autocue.

What's funny is a bet all these people complaining about Mulhern being over used don't actually watch any of his shows!

I said 'I find' it's an opinion Andy.

Bar the BGT spin-off show, a lot of his gigs seem like ones nobody else would want. And I bet he comes cheap. He doesn't have many hits under his belt. Just middle of the road shows or complete flops.


Length of service doesn't necessarily make someone good at their job.

Antony Cotton has been in Corrie for over 10 years...


Btw I watch Catchphrase or did. He wasn't cutting it for me so I switched off and now only tune in for the Celebrity specials if anyone I like is on them in spite of him. I've also watched BGMT and BSLS in the past and tried Go For It recently which was like a rip off of Cilla's Moment of Truth. I don't rate him on anything.

I agree with a lot lot what you've said. On BGMT and Catchphrase I find he does well personally. But he does seem to present some complete duds: Pick Me, Magic Numbers, Go For It, Get Your Act Together etc.

But then again, are you realy going to turn down another paying job? He's fortunate he's getting so much TV work. Look at Vernon Kay. He had a big hit with ASFF, but that declined, Drive flopped, and now he's been off TV for months, with no new projects lined up.

Perhaps if Dawn French does well on Little Big Shots, she'll be used on other ITV LE to spice it up.

Presenting 'duds' isn't a factor in being a competent presenter or not.

The Anthony Cotton comparison is invalid as that is one continuous job where he obviously must be popular with someone. Mulhern has hosted programmes for a wide range of production companies and keeps getting hired.

Also if he was so poor at BGMT as you suggest, why does he do it every year, unlike other spin off shows where the host frequently changes?

Presenters of ITV Light Entertainment this year:
Ant and Dec, Dermot O'Leary, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Stephen Mulhern, Ben Shepherd, Bradley Walsh, Paddy McGuinness, Keith Lemon, Warwick Davis, Davina McCall, Ricky and Melvin, Jonathan Ross....

Maybe overuse is only noticed because ITV do much more and much more varied LE than anyone else? And that LE and particularly new LE gets much more attention than any other genre?

First I'm a Celebrity trailer just aired on ITV.

It comes around so quickly.......and then 3 weeks of IAC is over in a blink as well.

That's rather unfair imo. I don't know much about Cotton, but he is at the mercy of the script, director etc-and they do keep employing him. He is blameless in that respect and clearly someone thinks he is worth his place.

According to Charlie Sale, not the most reliable source admittedly, Sky football viewing figures are down 19%. I expect things to improve, especially with MNF this week, but you do wonder if punters are getting fed up paying so much each month especially when finding a live stream for free is pretty easy still.

It'd come round quicker if it was on Channel 4!

Yes, this year seems to have gone so fast, I can't believe we are almost in the Christmas run up already.

I wonder if Strictly will climb again? Earlier slot but less of a clash. Meanwhile X Factor might benefit from the smaller clash but does normally see a dip for the second live show. Meanwhile Meet The Parents looked like a fun enough format but stands no chance in that slot. I'll go:

Strictly - 9.7m

Meet The Parents - 2.5m
X Factor - 6m

Thought X Factor was really good tonight. The theme worked really well, some very good performances and the panel is really firing. A pity a chunk of the audience seemed to switch off around judges houses/start of live shows as it is the best it has been for a while.

I think Strictly might hit 10m tonight. XF's second live show was up last year and it was flat in 2014 and with less of a clash this week I can't see it been too far down on last week. Brilliant show tonight though. Actually enjoying it again this year after last years worst ever year!

Not sure if you're correct about this. In 2015, it went up from 5.6 to 6.5 (I think). In 2014, it went from 7.66 to 7.70. 2013 also saw only a small drop, from 8.1 to 7.9.

I shall abstain from predicting tonight.

Interesting in that link that sky are down 20% for EPL ratings. NBC is down the same in America and there's also a shock decline in NFL numbers.

I suspect sky are right, the games just have been weak so far and the Olympics certainly hurt. It won't help the channels if ManU struggle either as they're easily the biggest attraction.

Would be good to see Strictly hit 10m - not sure it'll do it this week but you never know! Agree about X Factor, it was really good tonight. It works and I hope it gets a decent rating. It did go up last year, but I think that was mainly as the first live show landed on Halloween.


Last year's first live show was on Halloween though. Fair point about 2014, it went up very slightly as the overlap with Strictly was much less in week 2 than in week 1...which is similar to this year admittedly. We'll see.

Just had a look, week 2 retention through the years:

2015: 116%
2014: 101%
2013: 98%
2012: 99%
2011: 94%
2010: 98%
2009: 96%
2008: 89%
2007: 115%
2006: 99%
2005: 108%
2004: 93%

Mean: 101%
Median: 98.5%

There's been a dip most years but a couple of large rises results in the mean being 101%. The mean would put it at 6.3m, the median at 6.1m. So low 6s feels about right.

Hard to gauge Strictly. Last week was a triumph and may have prompted a good audience tonight but it wasn't as good tonight-perhaps inevitably.

No idea of the result but Danny Mac is becoming a bugbear to me, he wouldn't look out of place as a pro. He still might have a nightmare, but he isn't really on a "journey" so to speak. He is a dancer already, just waiting to be switched on.

Mulhearn is more than a presenter as he can be funny and quick. He's an entertainer unlike Schofield or Shepherd. That's not to say that they can't be witty as Shepherd showed tonight on TP when he made Jimmy Carr do that laugh.

Holly worked really well on MTP tonight and it's a great show for her. That list is great by the way.

Watching Tipping Point and seeing Carr avoid some obvious cruder jokes made me wonder why ITV hasn't taken a punt on him. Carr presenting Go For It or Stars in your Eyes could have worked.

Jimmy Carr would just not fit on ITV I suspect as a presenter. The shows he does on Ch4 are hardly massive hits either. He's marmite, and I suspect they would waste time trying to open him to an ITV audience.

I too thought TXF was great tonight (bar Crappy G). Some really good singers. I think SCD will rise, but I think TXF will either stay stable or rise slightly.

Pointless Celeb 4.2m
SCD 9.8m

Tipping Point 2.1m
Meet The Parents 3m
The X Factor 6.5m
Ross 1.7m

On a different note, why does JR seem to feaure Russell Brand on every series? I can't stand him. I suspect JR will highlight how Newzoids was a better lead out of TXF than he will be.

Harry Hill and Keith Lemon are too. Barrymore was Marmite (my parental home never watched any of his shows).

Carr might work. I suspect GFI would have done better. Clearly he'd need the right vehicle. Maybe give it to ITV2 as a launching pad and see how it goes.

Carr can tweak his style for his audience. He did on TP and on Fallon. I like him so am obviously biased. Paul Merton was another in wondered about a few years ago. Dara is another. I'm now just trawling Mock The Week and HIGNFY.

I doubt Dara would ever do light entertainment, he has bad memories of doing it on Irish television. I am surprised he's not been given a chat show though. Paul Merton wouldn't work either, he did a improv show for ITV years ago called Thank God You're Here which lasted one series, he's good as fronting documentaries and panel shows but I suspect light entertainment would be out of his league.

A short sequence mentioning the death of Hilda Ogden is to be inserted into an episode of Coronation Street this week - The Sun

And rightly so.

Another Friday rating from Christopher Wickham on the other place:

Would I Lie to You: 3.42m (16.5%)

My predictions which, as usual, will be a load of rubbish:

Strictly - 9.7m
X Factor - 6.1m

I also reckon that Meet the Parents will be a flop.