I think at the start of a new era for the channel there should be an optimistic outlook. Had Lygo bombed in Thursday it might be a different story but I thought he did well.

I'd agree they could definitely use a new pre-watershed drama. It would enable them to put the sixth Corrie on Sundays at 7.30pm and move the second Thursday Emmerdale to Sunday at 7pm. The new drama could then go on Thursdays at 8pm and they'd then have decent building blocks on both nights. I think the Sunday Corrie could find it more difficult than you'd expect starting halfway through Countryfile, so having Emmerdale there as well could definitely help.

Not sure they'll go for a new pre-watershed drama though, he's not said anything about it. I also don't know what sort of presence The Voice is going to have on Sundays. With Saturday Night Takeaway and possibly Dance Dance Dance on Saturdays it might have to go on Sundays in some form, which could make it difficult to find room for Corrie. I do think that whilst things like The Durrells and Vera have done very well on Sundays at 8pm, they'd have done even better with Corrie on before them. Between The X Factor, The Durrells, Vera and Endeavour they've actually got the Sunday 8pm slot covered for 30 weeks of the year. You wouldn't want to commit to a fixture in June because of the football tournaments and then there's Christmas so there's probably around 16 weeks of Sundays at 8pm left to fill and possibly less than that if The Voice lands there in some way, so they might do one more new drama there but there isn't that much space. I don't think it's true that the audience doesn't want LE on Sundays, The X Factor and Dancing on Ice surely disprove that. It just needs to be better light entertainment than dross like Get Your Act Together, just like the dramas they out there need to be better than flops like Beowulf. They'll still of course have 9pm drama on Sundays for most of the year. Pairing up The Durrells with The Good Karma Hospital is the obvious move they should make, for me.

I could see an argument for putting the sixth episode of Corrie on Tuesdays as well, but I don't know where you'd put it. 8pm would lead to a really odd looking Corrie schedule and 8.30pm is halfway through everything else so it wouldn't do that well. I am intrigued to see what they do with Tuesdays as they just aren't good enough at the moment,

Yes I think Little Big Shots will land on Wednesdays at 8pm. Big Star's Little Star has done alright there and this sounds better (and has done well in the US). I'm not sure if Meet The Parents (the new Holly Willougby dating show) is due to land midweek or on Saturdays either.

Holby does come across as a bit of a sitting duck at this point and hardly ever faces anything of note. ITV have no footing on Tuesdays at the moment but if they were to establish one I do think Holby would take a hit.

Yes, there is some irony there. They've just renewed Marcella as well, another November commission. He hasn't exactly raved about the rest of the drama slate though. Indeed, the two others he singled out were Doc Martin and Benidorm, both of which started way before November's time and the latter isn't even from the drama department.

Interesting he spoke about the tendency for dramas to overnight below 5 million and re-assessing what a hit is when talking about axing Home Fires. I guess it depends on the slot and cost. A 4 million overnight (and unexceptional timeshifting) probably wasn't good enough for expensive Sunday period drama like Home Fires, but is probably enough to led a midweek crime series like DCI Banks plod on, although that could always change. He renewed Grantchester and Marcella, both of which did settle below 5 million, but not by much (and Grantchester did better than most Wednesday dramas have done) and both consolidated well. So it's a bit of a grey area at the moment it seems, just what is a hit in drama? No word yet on Brief Encounters. It looks like a 50/50 decision to me. Had it got those numbers on Winter Mondays it'd look shaky but for a Summer show they might be enough.


I guess they couldn't rule out the Champions League returning but even if it does it'd be a way off yet. Not really enough of a reason to make no effort there, I think.

Agree that it'd be a tough place for Corrie to re-establish itself. I'd probably launch it around now (it's supposed to be next Autumn) so it would have a good few weeks to bed in before Strictly arrives.

It's times like this I miss PJMillar who used to create detailed and logical schedules using upcoming shows. I really miss his posts. IIRC rzt used to do this too and I think created an image spreadsheet once mapping out large parts of the year using upcoming shows and working in some architectural changes to the schedule. I don't know enough about the roster of shows coming or their episode counts, or I'd try it.

I agree with you about moving that pesky second Thursday Emmerdale to Sunday as well. A strong 7pm hour there will really help the 8 and 9pm offerings whether that be X Factor, The Durrells or Vera. Remember also there's a new series of Midsomer Murders coming in 2017 that'd be prime for 8pm after Coronation Street on Sunday.

Saturdays could be really strong with Ninja Warrior, The Voice, Takeaway, Dance Dance Dance. Wonder where Harry Hill will go. Also wonder if the Jack Dee sitcom is pre or post watershed. Friday at 8.30pm might be good for it if the former, if Corrie has moved to Sunday nights and Dee launches before the sixth CS arrives.

Torn between Casualty and X Factor. Had planned on watching X Factor, but will probably watch Casualty, as it's such a big episode. Will probably watch X Factor tomorrow on catchup.

Disagree there. Though I am biased as I asked for this to be revived on here a few times. So my opinion is likely not reflective.

However, this has the full original cast and writers going for it and it has had the most positive interest in this part of the forum with several threads about it.

The set up promises an interesting new twist on the story leaving the World War Two era behind.



We will see if it works but as the only actual revival rather than a remake, prequel or sequel then it has an advantage of not having to face comparisons with the original.

They wanted Miranda Hart to play Lurcio in Up Pompeii but she said no. I think that was the main problem. But I agree we might see more like this IF the series gathers viewer interest. Which remains to be seen. It might fall flat given it is August.

John Cleese is in talks with the BBC to appear in a new sitcom according to the Telegraph. He once vowed never to work for the BBC again after criticising their commissioning editors.

Now our Sporty summer has drawn to a close, here's the latest Year-To-Date shares for the terrestrials (with last years equivalent YTD figures in brackets):

BBC One: 22.13% (22.03%) UP 0.45%
BBC Two: 5.93% (5.78%) UP 2.60%
ITV: 15.16% (14.44%) UP 4.99%
C4: 5.50% (5.65%) DOWN 2.65%
C5: 3.81% (3.95%) DOWN 3.54%

Figures include HD and +1 and are for w/c 15/08.16.

Source: Broadcast

No real surprises, what with Euros bolstering BBC and ITV and Olympics helping the BBC channels. What is interesting is that BBC ONE is only 0.45% up which I think is telling of a relatively poor Q2.

I think Brief Encounters will be renewed, I imagine unlike Home Fires, it wasn't as expensive to make and it's a different sort of drama that ITV doesn't have at the moment, they're sorted with crime and period but a comedy drama like Brief Encounters and Doc Martin are harder to come by.

Further to my post above, Goodnight Sweetheart will suffer because of its rather bizarre very late inclusion. They are filming so close to transmission it has not featured in the previews at all which is bound to cost it viewers,

As it is the one show the writers (Marks and Gran) always wanted to bring back and were planning on making into a touring theatre musical if not on TV then it is odd this has become the afterthought. Maybe it was drafted in to replace something that was not followed through (like Up Pompeii perhaps) as the BBC have been promoting this sit com season at least in advance notices for months.

The Sun today reviews out of 5 all the other sit coms apart from Goodnight Sweetheart because of its unavailability for review or promotion.

They love Are You Being Served, Hancock's Half Hour and Till Death us Do Part (bemoaning the latter two being on BBC 4 not BBC1). All get 4 stars with praise for Sheree Hewson, John Challis, Roy Barraclough and Jason Watkins and writer Derren Litten for Are You Being Served? They love Kevin McNally as Hancock and Jon Culshaw as Sid James in Hancock and also find Simon Day great as Alf Garnett with praise for the original script (this is a remake of a lost episode).

Of the rest, Porridge gets 3 stars and love Kevin Bishop as Fletch but they seem to think it does not work completely as it is intentionally different from the original and modern day prison life just does not seem as funny. 'A little lumpy and cold' they call it.

The two clunkers (two stars each) - they say - are the remake of a famous Steptoe and Son episode - with Jeff Rawle and Ed Coleman in the roles. But because the whole episode is a like for like version of the original - they say - it just looks dull and muted and compares unfavourably with the original. Plus its humour has aged the least well.

The other is Young Hyacinth - which they say Patricia Routledge made the right decision when saying she will not watch as the BBC 'must be desperate'. Hammy acting, imitations that work and don't work and a 'charmless' script are almost saved by the best thing in it - Mark Addy as Hyacinth's dad, they say. They also do not like the complete rewrite of sister Daisy's role.

I've just seen a trailer for Paranoid on ITV3. Another search for a serial killer drama I see
(yawn and that DS have removed the yawn smilie.)

Zero out of ten for originality. Hope it flops.

They are more or less showing Til Death with the lights out shoved away on BBC4. Pity.

As an aside the Express have come up with a list of big name actors who's careers were part started with an association with Casualty:

Orlando Bloom
Christopher Eccleston
Martin Freeman
Robson Green
Minnie Driver
David Walliams
Kate Winslet
Helen Baxendale
Tom Hiddleston
Daisy Ridley

Quite a list.

That would have been interesting-they keep trying to get Miranda Hart a new vehicle but she isn't tempted.

It's actually a conspiracy thriller. The murder/serial killer is just a backdrop to the events. Must say, I don't get why anyone actively hates a show they've never even seen. Why not use your energy on something useful?

See, the problem here is believing anything The Sun has to say. I wouldn't even use that paper to line my hamster's cage! I've only seen Young Hyacinth of the sitcoms and I thought it was half decent. The only thing that didn't work was the lack of an audience, it was shot single camera instead.

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep6we...s-doing-dishes

No idea what they're thinking recommissioning this dross though. Didn't "Who's Doing the Dishes?" flop pretty badly?

Victoria is riddled with historical inaccuracies according to an academic in the Telegraph. Let's hope they're not too inaccurate. I just have a funny feeling this one is not going to take off.

I have said for months that Are You Being Served has the best chance of success followed by Young Hyacinth. Porridge's problem is the lack of Ronnie Barker to me. Young Hyacinth's problem is that I want to see adult Hyacinth with her slob family, her husband Richard and calling her son.

Nobody truly watches it for historical accuracy. You'd watch a documentary if you wanted that. This is a drama. Things have been changed to make a better story.

.....or hope.

Many seems too say this about every period drama, and yet some of them go on to become hits.

Are you being served? has what looks like a very well chosen cast. But then so did Dad's Army the movie and that could not escape it being an inferior copy that everyone was going to compare with the old version.

When the BBC tried to pair Ronnie Corbett with Bruce Forsyth after Ronnie Barker died to try to continue that success, you might have thought it should work as they were long term friends but somehow it lacked that spark that you can never create by design or write into a show. It either emerges or it does not. And it rarely does.

Getting an audience to accept an iconic show as recast with anyone is going to be a struggle beyond more than a one off. Look at Ant and Dec as the Likely Lads. Even they could not make it work.

Here - though - they seem to have taken the wise idea of subtly updating and setting the show just a couple of years after it ended on TV in an age where the tone of humour worked. So the audience has less of a reach to judge the humour in 2016 terms if they see it as a 1988 show. Possibly the flaw in the Porridge scenario outside of them not having Ronnie Barker - which is always going to be an impossible act to follow. Also surprised they did not at least bring back Christopher Biggins as an older version of the same character. Or had he been killed off? Or did he say no?

Also getting a writer who, from Benidorm, knows the target audience for this show has helped.

Though possibly that target audience is more ITV than BBC. Indeed, it would not amaze me to see ITV pick this up to series if the BBC do not.

The Sun is aimed at that audience, too, possibly explaining why it was impressed. But in TV ratings terms it does have the best shot I would have to agree.

Keeping up Appearances was so dependent on the lead actress that making it a prequel was their only option, but likely not one that will succeed in making people forget that Patricia Routledge is not there. The only way they might have succeeded is getting Angela Lansbury to take over the role. That might have worked. But even then most of the other cast are gone now, so it was pretty hopeless.

You can see that they have tried a variety of options here with these shows, which is commendable. A straight new episode with old cast/old writers (Goodnight Sweetheart), remakes of old or lost episodes from original writers with new cast (Till Death, Steptoe and Hancock), Recasting of an old show with new writer (Are you being served?), a prequel with new cast (Young Hyacinth) and a sequel with new cast (Porridge),

If nothing else from a pure 'the workings of TV' enthusiast perspective seeing how each concept fares against the others will be interesting.

They have lifted that list straight from a bundle of episodes put together by BBC Store

AYBS is a BBC Studios production so it wouldn't be able to go to ITV anyway

If the new Coronation St slot has been decided, rivals in the TV industry will already know where it's going, possibly some in the advertising industry, too. You can't keep a secret like that. It's only the viewers who will be expected to watch it who'll be kept in the dark.
That was after Ronnie Barker retired, not after he died.

There's your answer. Clashes dent its momentum for the rest of the week but it is easier to recover a bit from one than two on the bounce.

It will be back up on Monday unless there's a significant BH effect.