Its more interesting when ITV shown a few moe competetive films on, otherwise its just a BBC1 white-wash.

The schedules on ITV look so much better than last year. It might not rate as well as BBC1, but at least it makes the ratings more unpredictable.

I hope we see a lot of changes!

Is that a repeat of Peter Kay's clip programme on Christmas Eve or a special of christmassy themed clips?

Its always going to be difficult to compete ahainst BBC1. But a strong film premiere can do it, it its the right film. As Skyfall showed. And next year I suspect, Spectre will be on ITV Christmas Eve and Jurassic World NYD?

ITV last year was a disaster. But with this year they need to get rid of YBF from primetime. Why does this get repeated so much, but they have a perfectly viable option of rpts of even POG Dogs or The Chase?

Emmerdale is usually on early and doesn't do that well on the day usually.

I've had a crappy day so I'm going to say that BBC1 have put EVERYTHING in the wrong slot. Rubbish scheduling.

Its usually used in half hour slots which The Chase can't go in.

You might not have noticed but YBF! hasn't been on ITV since 1st October

And now for a proper critique (on schedules that may be subject to change.


McIntyre and Dame Shirley seem fine for BBC1, it being both Christmas Eve and Saturday, but they could have found something better than Pointless, EastEnders and Peter Kay (and I say this as someone who will probably be watching Pointless and Peter. Not EastEnders. Depressing tripe.)

I presume Spider-Man is a premier, in which case ITV's schedule is fine.

I understand that, but YBF is a massive weak poin in ITV's schedule. Even rpts of POG Dogs would be better.

And if you were at ITV, wouldn't you be looking to get a couple of The Chase Christmas speials in this period, which would give a solidarity to a couple of slots?

This is all a waste of time now that everyone has stopped watching television on Christmas Day. Ratings will be no better this year. Bake Off is too early and Mrs Brown is too late. Midwife is still hopelessly out of place on Christmas Day but not as out of place as critical flop The Tracey Ullman Show. Strictly goes through the motions these day and doesn't make any effort to give the Christmas show any special purpose - six randomly selected past contestants - boring. And the trailer shown on CIN suggests Dr Who will be not much less tedious than last year's awful Christmas Day episode.

On the plus point BBC1 will easily beat ITV's line-up. But there's not much point in ITV making much effort looking at last year's ratings.

You couldn't run a repeat of POG Dogs in that Boxing Day slot though with the new episode on 2 hours earlier. I can see why they've gone for YBF there, it'll probably be a new Xmas special anyway.

Can't really complain about it on Christmas Eve either, it's only at 5pm. I suppose they could just run 101 Dalmations 30 minutes later if they were that desperate to get rid of it. It would be good for them to do a Chase special, particularly as they've done them for Text Santa in the past. But they couldn't just put it in everywhere.

ITV's schedules on the main days look decent enough but I dread to think what the filler on the other days will be like.

Interesting that the Beeb are putting EastEnders on Christmas Eve even though it is a Saturday, whereas ITV aren't, because its a Saturday.

It will be interesting if there is a Christmas The Chase, because it traditionally aired in the usual 5pm slot on Text Santa day, but they aren't doing that this year of course.

I agree about Christmas SCD being as minimal effort as possible, isn't one of this years celebs the person who was voted off first on the normals series?

I know I'm probably expecting too much, but I thnk YBF will just stop any momentom 101 Dalmations builds up.

In regards to your last post. That is where th Christmas specials of The Chase would come into play.

So we've got soaps on Xmas Eve and Xmas Day meaning they're on every single day of the week.

Merry Christmas.

A very competitive BBC1 schedule on Boxing Day, ready to take on the ITV soaps. Bake Off may well match them but I feel Still Open All Hours is likely to get thumped. Feel a bit disappointed that BBC1 are putting a lot of comedies on after 10pm but actually the Ten O'Clock News rates okay so it's just about extending primetime over the festive period.

BBC1 spreading their dramas out. Last Tango seems to have been treated with contempt a little bit, but, hey, it's big-rated Monday night drama on BBC1. I guess Jonathan Creek doesn't deserve a plum slot after the last disappointing series. Here's hoping the new episode returns the programme to form.

And animation in prime-time but Stick Man was BBC1's third highest rated programme of Christmas week last year with over 9m viewers (I complained previously of poor Christmas Day ratings but, of course, low overnights were countered with big time-shifts) and, hey, this is Roald Dahl who has ]fans who are now grand-parents with grand-kids who are also Dahl fans.

You have had a bad day.
You're also spot on.

Nightmare scenario!

It would probably make more sense to drop it on Christmas Eve but I don't see it causing any issues really. Spider-Man won't suddenly do loads better if they remove YBF.

Christmas episodes of The Chase would be good for teatime but you couldn't run them in primetime every night. No doubt 8pm and 9pm from 27th-30th will contain some rubbish filler, but I don't really blame them. There's no money to be made and they've not made a bad effort on the main days.

EE is always on Christmas Eve/Day, Boxing Day and NYD regardless of the day of the week

But the soaps are on Christmas Day too and that's a Sunday. So that point makes no sense. You get these odd days of soap when Christmas is at the weekend.

No Xmas Eve soaps on ITV (big round of applause from me) and only 35 minutes of EastEnders, so not too scary an evening. We can all go and wrap up our pressies when EE is on.

You're not Bradley Walsh by any chance?

BBC1 looks strong for most of the festive period here (although Eastenders on a Saturday, even though it's Xmas eve, seems a little out of place amongst the entertainment offerings)

ITV have also put up a competitive schedule, reliant on soaps as usual, but trying out Blanket Blank on Xmas Day is a bit of a departure although I don't think people will sit through Maigret on the day itself (would have been better on Boxing Day imo if they wanted live viewers, same as CTM)

Actually all in all though lots I want to warch across both main channels (Channel 4 and 5 are looking particularly bare even for them at Xmas thiugh)

Everyone? Six programmes topped 6m last year and the remainder of the top ten on the day were not far behind. There were a lot of non-Christmas days this year that could not claim anything like that!

Can I ask why you think 101 Dalmations will build up momentum? I acknowledge that ITV are making an effort, but BBC1 have already shown that film about a dozen times since 2000. It isn't going to pull in massive ratings I'm afraid.

Having said that, another Christmas Eve airing of Narnia:Prince Caspian is hardly going to attract a mass audience either. I'd have put Oz: The Great and Powerful on Christmas Eve.

I believe the 101 Dalmations in question is the 1961 animation, not the 1996 live action movie that BBC1 have aired many times (that version was on the C5 list Dancc posted earlier). I think the animation has only ever been aired maybe once or twice before? I don't know about building momentum but I'd have thought it'll do better than ITV's average for that slot if nothing else.

I notice the one off World of Sport Wrestling special isn't in ITV's schedule. I think that might turn up on Boxing Day. New Year's Day would be a good shout but I think ITV have their first horse racing fixture that day and I don't know if there'd be room. If there is then that would be the best bet.