Not that good for that Class of 92 thing considering it seemed to be advertised after every Olympics programme, and was only up against 500Q.


To be fair you brought that on yourself as your comment was completely nonsensical.

Very funny extended 'Friday Night' X Factor trailer shown before 8.30pm Corrie

If the show doesn't show signs of slight recovery this year, I think it never will. It looks like a winning panel and a lot of fun, actually laughed at the trailer!

Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail gives the new episode of Porridge four stars out of five. That's interesting.

As someone who rates Porridge the greatest sitcom British TV has ever produced (I rate it even more than Fawlty Towers), I have to say I haven't been overly impressed by the clips I've seen. Admittedly, that's only two and they're both very short, but one reuses a joke from the original series and Ronnie Barker delivered it so much better than Kevin Bishop appears to. Ronnie Barker's performance on Porridge was masterful. Can't see Kevin Bishop giving as much depth to his character as Barker give to Norman Stanley.

It'll be interesting to see the ratings for these four sitcom revivals, baring in mind how well the Still Open All Hours one-off did, albeit at Christmas. Place your bets as to how many of the four make it to a series. I'm going to predict...... FOUR! (It's the easy option for BBC1 and saves them the effort of finding new offerings - see also the return of Not Going Out and the revival of BBC Scotland's Still Game being given a network slot - BBC1 hoping for another Celtic comedy success after Mrs Brown's Boys.)

Hmm, I agree with you the trailer for Porridge doesn't look that good. I would love Are You Being Served to get a full series. It's the one I've been looking forward to the most and I think it looks the best out of the four. I've seen lots of interviews with Sherrie Hewson and she's definitely up for a full series and I think Derren Litten would be too.

The X Factor isnt a comedy though is it?

It doesnt matter who the presenter is or who is on the panel. People are just a bit fed up of it ,

I think they should have saved these comedy specials for Christmas and shown one a night - Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, Boxing Day, Holiday Tuesday,

Seems like the BBC are showing them 2 together to get rid of them quick.- and these comedies belong in an 8 or 8.30pm slot - not 9.00.

Hopefully it will recover, even if just slightly, though they have to give it time.
Starting on bank holiday was a bit idiotic - I have higher hopes for next Saturday, where it might get some of the floating Strictly audience.
Although, let's say it opens with 7.3m tomorrow. Timeshifting 2.5 million would put it up YOY. It's very possible - BGT's bank holiday episode timeshifted 2.6 million.


You saying that only shows defined as 'comedy' are permitted funny moments?
You must be a Voice fan!

The X Factor will open with around 6.5m-7m. For a show like TXF to still be pulling in these audiences 10years on is still good going.

I agree with whoever said the sitcoms are guaranteed to go to series. I mean, they've gone to the trouble of recreating sets and creating new ones, so they must be fairly confident of their success.

Plus, the BBC is always looking for new hits so they don't have to rely on Mrs Brown's Boys at Christmas. I still think the stupidest thing they ever did was cancel Last of the Summer Wine.

Yeah, it was weak and showing its age but it was still pulling in a regular audience of 4m on Sunday early evenings. Even the recasts didn't really seem to pull down the audience that much.

Just watched Kevin Lygo at Edinburgh.

Interestingly he said "there will be 6 emmerdales and 6 coronation street over a five night period"

so that rules out corrie on a sunday

Actually used to be much more fun until Gary Borelow decided to make it more about real talent and sucked the fun out of it.

It's no coincidence the show declined after Simon and Sharon left. The era that followed felt very different.

Going back to being a piss take with the odd gobsmackingly good singer is the right move. It should be funny family entertainment, the "no no no no no" Cassette Boy style trailer is really capturing that vibe.

As I said this is the best chance it's had since 2010 to be the show it was. Or more like it at least. If it doesn't rise a bit this year, it never will and is too late. That's my point.

Sharon Oz and Louis will help and Nicole is a good judge. Could be the best ever panel.

To me, X Factor is Louis and Sharon in fits of laughter over terrible auditions with Simon telling them off. If they have managed to re-capture that essence, I think it'll be brilliant.

The show started taking itself far too seriously, which I think is where they went wrong.

After launching low last year on Bank Holiday weekend, why they've decided to do the same this year is very odd. They could have started it last week with just one episode and then just one episode this Saturday before starting it on Saturday and Sunday in week 3. This way is could have probably started higher, took a hit this weekend and bounced back the following weekend with a Strictly overlap audience available.


Oh no! Thursday at 8.30pm it is then. The week will feel very soap heavy. They need to move the 8pm Emmerdale to Sunday and then place the 6th episode of Corrie there too. Sunday's have been a bit of a disaster since Dancing on Ice was axed. This would bring some much need stability back to ITV on a Sunday nights.

I think AYBS, Porridge and Young Hyacinth will get a series but unsure about Goodnight Sweetheart, think that one might remain a one-off or just specials

I wouldn't be surprised if we get another round of sitcoms being revived next year. Up Pompeii was meant for this season but I think had casting issues, the other sitcoms I could see return are The Brittas Empire and Men Behaving Badly, the latter has its 25th anniversary next year so could see a special of some sorts if they can the cast together with a decent script by Simon Nye

I'm pretty sure I remember it being reported earlier this year that the Brittas Empire is due for a revival on the BBC soon.

Although, on the subject of Chris Barrie sitcoms, it is strange the BBC are looking to revive all these sitcoms now when they passed on the Red Dwarf revival and let it go to Dave.

In the case of Red Dwarf, the controller of BBC Two at the time wasn't interested but BBC Worldwide was hence why it ended up on Dave

Birds of an Feather and Yes Prime Minister went to ITV and Gold because the controller of BBC One was interested but could only commit to a pilot or a special when the creators wanted a series.

HURRAH!!!!


Or maybe it will be Tuesday at 8pm in a bid to boost ITV's weakest night of the week.


Incidentally, Thursday at 8.30pm would suggest Mr Lygo is not quite as adventurous and innovative as some on this thread were hoping he would be.

Yes hurrah iain because whatever ITV show at 7.30 on Sunday you watch week in, week out!

People who don't want Corrie back on Sundays are people who actively want ITV to fail, in my opinion. They don't watch soaps (or ITV much at all) anyway but ultimately hate ITV and want it to suffer and flounder.

They know Corrie on Sunday would help them stand a chance at reigniting the days ITV dominated from 7-10 or 7-11pm on Sunday and they don't want it, because they hate ITV and think it's a piece of old shite.

No one is saying "I'd rather watch The Zoo on Sunday nights than there be a Corrie episode." They're saying "I hate ITV, I gleefully enjoy it dying slowly, I don't even know what normally airs on Sunday at 7.30 but I'd rather it wasn't Corrie, because that helps ITV die faster. I want them to put other shows out I'd never watch anyway but no one else would either, so their lead in is weak and they continue to be a wasteland that night most weeks of the year."

Pathetic.

Adding a sixth ep of Corrie is not adventurous to start with, let alone innovative. Adding extra soap would have been the last thing I would do.

Lygo states in his interview he doesn't like it suggested that ITV viewers are only soap viewers. Yet to prove this very fact, he commissions another ep of Corrie, which mainly proves ITV viewers are a soap audience.

If you are trying to appeal to a larger viewer base, adding yet another soap ep is not going to help.

Lygo also stated he hasn't missed an ep of Corrie in 50+years. Well then surely can he not see the mess Corrie is in? Can he not see the ratings have plummeted?

Gotta say, CBB finishing is refreshing for me, it's been a tough one after a great normal series. Didn't really enjoy this last series. I'll be here tomorrow morning looking at all the ratings and then heading to the airport, and I'll be back in over 2 weeks to see the X Factor/Striclty discussions

To be fair within 12 weeks of Lygo's appointment, Blackburn was gone.

But let's just be negative instead of consider better times are possible for Corrie, and that Lygo + Oates can deliver that. 6 eps a week is a lot and I don't want it myself but it's been said quite clearly the production is being totally overhauled to allow for that and maintain (and hopefully increase) overall quality.

I know why people dwell on the past and focus on tangible negatives but sometimes a little bit of faith and positivity can go a long way - I'm increasingly finding this forum to be a place which does too much of the former and not enough of the latter. It's very wearing. Really sucks the enjoyment out of the things that are being discussed. So very depressing.

It's all "this'll drop, that's dropped, this is f**ed, that's peaked, this is doomed, that's ruined, this is over and that's on borrowed time"

Very little positivity anywhere, it seems. Just feels like everyone's waiting for shows and networks to die, whilst waiting to die themselves.

Don't get me wrong, I want Corrie to be the best it can be. I want it to be like when Phil Collinson first took over; exciting, unpredictable, tight scripts, looking forward to each ep. So far I'm unimpressed with Kate Oates first 2 weeks, but I really, really hope it will get better.

But Corrie has been so poor for ages, I have been on the brink of stop watching completely. Kate Oates appointment was a silver lining, yet from the storylines I've heard to far i'm not feeling it. Babies, affairs, and more babies.

And Corrie is so full of pointless characters who are so past their best. Axings need to be made.

Fair enough, but I don't think it's a case of waving a magic wand and axing half the cast. There's a lot more that needs to be done and it takes time to do - if the show's still in the pits by Spring of next year, I'll be right with you. Phil Collinson's name didn't appear on the credits and the show was instantly unmissable, it took months.

I just think why not give it a bit of time. Same for Kevin Lygo, he's been at ITV 5 minutes in the grand scheme of things.

You have no idea whatsoever what is Kate Oates work and what isn't. It's a transitional period where ideas will cross over. There won't be a definitive point for months where we can say we are only seeing the work of Oates.

The extra episode is useful at propping up a night that struggles. A guaranteed 5.5m on Tuesday at 8:30 is better than the sub 2m factual they have been showing.

BBC 1 Presentation asleep this morning running trailers for the rugby league cup final ''tomorrow'' when it's actually today.

BBC Breakfast dozing - they introduce the Film Review as being presented by Gavin Esler when it was actually Simon McCoy.

But then it's early in the morning......