January

EE must be pretty dull if they've pencilled it in for around 9.30pm on Christmas Day

Do you mean Peter Kay or did I mistype? It should be Peter Kay anyway!

I did check and it wasn't marked as a repeat on digiguide.

Thank you!

BBC1 must be desperate for Ullman's not very good sketch show to get a big audience for s2 if they are seriously putting the best of out on Christmas Day after MBB.

They really have lost the plot if they go with that. Disappointed that CTM again gets a plum Xmas Day slot (even plum-er this year on these drafts) when there is no Downton.

BBC1 could have cleaned up this year. My worry is the trend the past couple of years is for the first draft provisionals to pretty much stay unchanged.

That's a stinker of a Christmas Night from BBC1 as it stands.

Oh sorry I think Peter Kay was on Christmas Eve and Tracy Ullman on Christmas Day. I imagine its a re-packaged 'new' episode.

Bond has been on ITV4 for months now. I think the Potter film will do better. Though it does seem a bit heavy going. But I suppose they have put effort into Xmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day, something had to give.

I just hope NYD has an intereting schedule as much as Christmas Day. It would be a mistake to start the year as badly as last NYD.

Nice to see you on this thread again

I think the BBC's strongest period of the day is like last year with the film premiere, Bake-Off and Doctor Who. After that point is weakens and is the basic same schedule as last year. MBB is going to wear itself out with episodes that are virtually the same every year.

CTM really does put a dampner on the day. 75minutes slap bamg in the schedule. This is a potential point ITV should be looking to target.

In the earlier part of the afternoon I like C4's schedule the best. It feels like something different and Xmassy.
I like Blankety Blank and Maigret as they're sort of new and therefore unpredictable. BBC1 is sadly a write off.

BTW - does ITV have to show TQS at 3? Dump that and start Lion King at 3pm and you've got a chance.

I have often wondered this. Surely no channel ever has to show a certain programme? But, if that is so, why do ITV show the Queen? Because, as we all know, the speech is already covered by BBC1 and they always beat ITV in the ratings. ITV could indeed get a jump on the BBC by startling the Lion King at 3pm.

Lots of people like watching The Queens Speech, and even though ITV get about 2m compared with BBC1, if ITV dumped it, BBC1 would get boost thanks to ITV's no show.

ITV just need to start The Lion King at 3.10pm and make sure they start on time. At least this year with a good film on beforehand (potentially 2m in the morning slot) it'll give a better lead in to TQS on ITV, which last year didn't get much support and so was below 2m.

I agree, personally most the BBC's schedule is a turn off. I like Frozen, DW and MBB at a push, and that about it.

Ch4 I like the animations in the morning (always watch The Snowman/Father Christmas) among other programmes.

I still don't see the advantage to ITV of clashing their big Disney title with BBC1's? They're just significantly reducing the potential audience. Put The Lion King out against GBBO and SCD and tap directly into the Frozen audience.

I'm with jsam93 here - dump it. Yes TQS may get 2m on itv but how many of them just have itv on? How many are also watching BBC1 TQS for the same reason?

So even if you lose 1m who want to watch it, you might get 1m back. Or more. Plenty might flick over as soon as they see TQS come on; it could be a programme that actually drives people to itv.

It might not of course, I just wonder if it's worth a shot.

Have to agree.

I understand that ITV have little to gain from investing large sums for programming over Christmas but to schedule Harry Potter film repeats 4 nights in a row as their prime time offering is in my view unacceptable.

This is the nation's biggest commercial broadcaster, putting out a prime-time schedule that wouldn't look out of place on a multi-channel and whilst I accept that HP will probably do okay ratings-wise, is this really the best we should expect from them?

ITV just aren't that desperate for ratings to neglect The Queen to steal a march on BBC One with their inferior film. What is in it for them commercially ?

The audience will just wait for The Queen and the superior film. It's just not worth all the bad publicity for ITV that ditching The Queen would attract.

Not that I'm suggesting they should, but they could screen The Queen later, for example they could schedule it against the BBC's Xmas Day news bulletin and in doing so still give it a high profile slot.

Didnt I read that ITV now make the Queens speech,or maybe was ITN.

I'd go with:

Xmas Eve

6.15 News
6.35 Pointless Xmas
7.30 EE
8.00 Still Open All Hours (NEW)
8.30 Call the Midwife
9.45 Walliams Meets Bassey
10.50 Peter Kay's Xmas Comedy Shuffle
11.20 News
11.35 Midnight Mass

Xmas Day

3.00 HMTQ
3.10 Film: Frozen
4.45 Revolting Rhymes
5.15 News
5.30 Doctor Who
6.30 Xmas Bake Off
7.30 SCD
8.30 EE
9.30 MBB
10.10 MM's Big Xmas Show
11.10 News
11.20 HIGNY Best of 2016 [or Ullman, if they must]

Boxing Day

- as is, but WILTY Xmas Special at 8.30 in place of SOAH.

Rest of week as is.

Where will ep2 of SOAH go on the current drafts - on NYE or Bank Holiday Monday (again opposite Corrie, before shifting to Sundays?). I hope they find room on NYD, given it will presumably pair with Sherlock eps 2 and 3. So perhaps:

8.00 SOAH ep 2
8.30 EE
9.00 Sherlock

Where does MBB ep 2 go? One assumes that will end up on Bank Holiday Monday 2nd Jan?

It diminishes them even further as a broadcaster if they cease to broadcast The Queen in it's premiere screening slot. Especially in some feeble attempt to get a few extra people to watch their film repeat in a slot that they don't attempt to compete in.

Didn't it air on New Year's Day after Sherlock last year? Though that was very late for it.

Too late in my view, and isn't there MOTD to fit in too?

Could they air MBB1 on Xmas Eve and MBB2 on Xmas Day?

They won't of course; if the schedules are finalised tomorrow then we're probably largely stuck with what's already on Digiguide sadly...

EDIT: hm, seems there's a mostly full PL programme on NYE - so Gary et al will be partying in Salford then. That makes a mess of BBC1's NYE schedule then. There is a Norton show in the PI release and the NYE "big name" concert - so how do they fit all that in?

MOTD on BBC2?

You never know. There might suddenly be a big switch around.

Seven matches on New Year's Eve - run from 10.30pm to 11.45pm followed by a switch to the concert for a couple of songs but it'd run predominantly post midnight? Maybe The Graham Norton Show could air on New Year's Day instead, after Sherlock?

New Year's Eve
21.35 Mrs. Brown's Boys
22.15 BBC News and Weather
22.30 Match of the Day
23.50 Concert
00.00 Fireworks
00.10 Concert
01.00 *Film*

New Year's Day
21.00 Sherlock
22.30 BBC News and Weather
22.40 The Graham Norton Show

Don't forget MOTD2

Hmm maybe Graham Norton will take his usual Friday slot with Match of the Day on Saturday and Sunday? Or Match of the Day 2 could air after Graham Norton.

You've made me just think of the Royal Variety and one on one interviews itv do. You are absolutely right in what you say. It isn't worth it.