Interesting that it wasn't any lower than the night before. Still absolutely awful, but after Tuesday it could have been even worse.

Sensational numbers - for August!

I remember when it would have been wall to wall repeats and movie fillers every night. Now the biggest show on telly launches there. Wonder why they don't hold it back a fortnight and pull even more though?

Money talks and I suspect they'd all be back. They'd be foolish to walk away. Particularly Mel & Sue as it's not like they've got any other particularly big gigs (not for lack of trying in Mel's case). I think it's very, very unlikely to leave the BBC so I wouldn't worry, but I remember will.i.am saying he wouldn't move to ITV and now he has. It won't move to ITV, but if it did I suspect the talent would follow.

Stonking rating for Bake Off, wouldn't surprise me if this is the most successful series, there seems to be a good mix of contestants. Of course, the Daily Heil is already trying to knock it down with various articles about the private lives of contestants.

Incredible numbers for Bake off!

BBC1
The Great British Bake Off: 10.44m (47.5%)
BBC News (10pm): 4.86m (30.5%)
The Chronicles of Nadiya: 4.16m (20.5%)

BBC2
Skies Above Britain: 1.33m (6.6%)
Britain's Hardest Workers: Inside the Low Wage Economy: 0.95m (5.4%)
Can Britain Have a Pay Rise?: 0.60m (2.7%)

BBC4
Atlantis: the Evidence (Repeat): 0.45m (2.2%)
The Bridge: Fifty Years Across the Forth (Repeat): 0.26m (1.2%)
BBC Proms 2016: Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra: 0.12m (1.1%)

Channel 4 (exc. +1)
The Watchman: 1.31m (6.5%)
Great Canal Journeys: 1.11m (5.0%)
First Dates: 0.92m (6.3%)

Channel 5 (exc. +1)
Celebrity Big Brother: 1.61m (7.9%)
GPs: Behind Closed Doors: 0.86m (3.9%)
Suspects: the Enemy Within: 0.32m (2.2%)

E4 (exc. +1)
Hollyoaks: 0.44m (2.7%)
Coach Trip: Road to Ibiza: 0.27m (1.5%)
Containment: 0.25m (1.2%)

TVUK was a bit different though. The Beeb was getting bad press for airing a very commercial show and ITV bought the production company. GBBO is a quintessentially BBC show, and maybe its makers respect that also even if ITV did offer big money?

Well, all 4 presenters/judges have stated that they would not leave the BBC should the programme move to another broadcaster, so it might actually be a bittersweet moment for any other broadcaster should they gain the rights to the programme but lose the main people who help make it what it is.

As I said, phenomenal for Bake Off. HUGE numbers, this show is just unstoppable, good for Nadiya but I did expect around mid 4m to be fair. Surprising increase for CBB as it starts to come to an end.

That's very true. Had it been flung out on ITV1, it quite possibly would have been summer filler and then quietly dropped after a series or maybe two. I don't think anyone but the BBC could have built a show like Bake Off to what it is now. Although I have to say there must have a fair bit of fairy dust involved -I still cant understand this level of success.

True, although the makers (Love Productions) would be very keen to keep them involved as well. I suspect they'd swing it, probably with a lot of money and deals to do other shows as well (as well as continuing with any other BBC shows they want to do).

This is all incredibly unlikely though as I'm 99% sure it'll stay on BBC1 and so it should.

More importantly there is a 16 month clause in the contract meaning that it wouldn't be able to air on another network until 2018.
The contract negotiations will take some time as unlike The Voice, there is a number of spin offs in the Love productions contract too. GBBO, Comic relief GBBO, Masterclass (this year being replaced by 2 Christmas specials) the kids version, the professional series on BBC 2, the pottery showdown and Sewing Bee. It's a massive contract.

It's one of the few shows which genuinely has appeal across the age ranges and sexes. I work with a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s and we all watch it, as do our colleagues who work in our London office (who range in ages from mid-20s to their 50s).

We have other colleagues in our office who watch with their teenage children and others who have older parents who watch.

I think what makes it so popular is it really is a concept that anyone can try at home. With other shows like Sewing Bee, The X Factor or BGT there's some level of artistry and other things needed, whereas pretty much anyone can make a cake. Obviously, not to the level of some of the contestants, but it seems to inspire people to at least have a go. I think people like the comradery of it as well, all the contestants genuinely want each other to do well, whereas on ITV or Channel 5 I think there'd be a temptation to add fake drama and have contestants backstabbing each other.

This is true - and I can't see any other channels wanting to take on Sewing Bee or the Pottery Showdown - but they do very nicely on BBC2.

It just seems to have all the right ingredients (sorry about that) to capture the viewers' imagination and attention, and can attract viewers across all age ranges

Well done to Bake Off, even If I will never understand it's popularity.

I love these stats. Of course the first 4 series were on BBC 2 but even so, amazing how much it has grown.

GBBO Series Openers:
2010 - 2.03m (9.1%)
2011 - 2.79m (12.7%)
2012 - 3.46m (16.7%)
2013 - 5.60m (26.4%)
2014 - 7.18m (34.6%)
2015 - 9.30m (43.0%)
2016 - 10.44m (47.5%)

Sensational for Bake Off, just when you think it couldn't possibly pull any viewers it ends up on last year- Insane and easily the biggest ratings success story for many years

Doesn't it defeat the whole idea of independent producers if, as soon as they have a successful programme on one channel they try to sell it to another ? I wouldn't have thought much work would be going their way from the BBC.

It would have been concerning were it not the highest launch ever, considering the number it finished on in 2015.
We shall see where it stabilises in comparison to the 2015 series.

#coldwater

For one of the hottest days in recent memory that figure is nothing short of unbelievable!

Yes. I fail to understand why an independent producer would want to diminish its reputation and its programmes just so it can "sell" to someone else for more bucks even if that transaction meant destroying or at least undermining, your brand.

or destroying/undermining your reputation with the very broadcaster who gave the programme its success via its budget, scheduling and promotion.

Including +1:

Celebrity Big Brother: 1.8m (8.8%)
The Watchman: 1.5m (7.2%)