I enjoyed AYBS more than Porridge tonight, which I didn't expect. Porridge had some pacing issues for me whereas AYBS seemed to romp along. Maybe it's because the writers of Porridge haven't had any TV writing credits since the 90s, but it definitely had issues.

Though if the size of episode threads dictated audience volume then Big Brother would get 10m viewers every night!

They wrote Auf Wiedersehen Pet 11 years ago!

To be fair, that was poor as well, not a patch on the originals.

I enjoyed it till the last act and that reminded me why viewers have drifted away.

I wonder if bringing back the original writers for these sequel/prequel wasn't a good idea, Young Hyacinth which has Roy Clarke's involvement hasn't been well received. AYBS is the only one with a new writer.

My verdict after two episodes is that the XF is - very clearly - the best it's been since 2010.

I don't know if the production team has changed to include more old heads, or it's the judge lineup, or editing or what - but it is quintessential classic X Factor again now. Yes the appetite for that has dropped somewhat but the magic ingredients are all there for - in my opinion - the first time since Simon quit the show and it all fell apart. In the first two eps I have literally wept and at other times, howled with laughter. It honestly hasn't been this show since 2010. It's remarkable the team have clawed back all of that charm whilst adding a new modern, current-feeling edge to the programme.

Now as for the ratings. Obviously it's a given SCD will beat it this year, and it won't recoup the losses of the last 6 years. However, I can see some big hype generating this year because the show is actually really decent again. It has recaptured that genuinely hilarious spirit of the old days, judge chemistry is possibly the best it's ever been (ever).

I am going to say I think the show will improve on last year. I think there will be good word of mouth this year - for example I wouldn't have dared talk about the show the last few years, but I can tell I would bring it up to friends this year round. Indeed, today I heard a lot of people talking about it. The audition last night which made me absolutely cry like a baby has been shared over 100,000 times on Facebook and liked 179,000 times.

If the show can't recover a little this year, it's fair to say there's nothing more that can be done. But as someone who always finds faults, this year I have to say there's nothing I can suggest to improve the show further. Production has changed, it's back to basics in all ways whilst also feeling very 2016, they've FINALLY changed the opening titles, the judges are perfect, the editing is slicker and more 'linear' feeling (not jumping from city to city and judges in different outfits but doing each city at a time as they used to).

Ramble.

No matter how bad it does, even if it falls YOY, this is the first time I've felt like the show is as good as it used to be, since 2010. The last 6 years in comparison to what we had this weekend is like a weird, horrible nightmare. For me, rather than being something I might watch on Sky+ if I can be arsed at some point, it's something I can't wait to watch more of next week and will watch close to the live transmission if not live (depending on plans).

Either way SCD will still beat it and that's fine, but I applaud the producers for finally righting the wrongs of the last 6 years since that fateful moment the winning panel abandoned the show and opened the doors to the Gary Borelow years and general wasteland. The show won't ever recover from that poor decision and Simon Cowell will have to live with it, but this year gives the show the best chance it can possibly have of making a modest recovery.

I cannot stress enough that they have done everything they possibly could do to recapture the glory days of this programme. There is not a single change they could make which would improve it, it's arguably the best it's ever been now. If it's too late, it's time to cut the losses and move on. If it's not, then it's time to accept the show lost a lot of blood when Simon walked away from it to try the USA out and viewers followed - but still has a bit of life in it yet.

Neither of the sitcom season offerings universally slated in the DS forum, which is some going in the DS world. Quite a few liked one but not the other.

I preferred AYBS. A funnier script and Derren Litten caught the spirit of the original - unashamedly unsubtle. Porridge had a few moments.

Both were flawed but then so was the Still Open All Hours pilot, and indeed, so is the series and yet it does enough in the ratings to be a big hit.

We await the ratings with interest. And I still expect at least one of the four BBC1 revivals to make it to series.

Xfactor production alone is so much better
last year truly had the feel of 1st year media students in charge.
trouble is it soon slips back into the very tired areas of good act/bad/joke

As for AYBS huge fan of the original. It was never going to come close because the original stars were just magical. the story was awful the "ending" didn't even happen,
Its like the writers didn't know how to even finish the episode its going to be interesting to see the breakdown, I suspect its going to have a big fall away over the 30 minutes

I didn't find either 'comedy' that worthy of a series. Tbh, I'm mostly loking forward to Young Hyacinth.

Victoria was good, but not excellent. Didn't quite have the same impact and wow factor of DA. A revised predictions: Based on how this thread is going tonight.

AYBS? 6.2m
Porridge 5.1m

Victoria 5.7m

I don't think Poldark will have too uch to worry about next week. The BBC comedies will have reduced Victoria's potential audience.

Both Porridge and AYBS got better as they went along.

If ITV can keep trotting out Benidorm, which hasn't been funny in years, I don't find it that unlikely these could be wheeled out by the beeb again.

I wouldn't be surprised if all 4 of the sitcoms get a series. I know they're all "old" but Porridge, Goodnight Sweetheart and Young Hyacinth all have relevance. AYBS? has a new cast, was genuinely funny and did enough to convince people that with the right scripts could be a huge success. I laughed out loud several times during AYBS? but not as much during Porridge.

I've really enjoyed the first two shows too. I think it's too early to say how the series will turn out but it's certainly been a positive start. They've got the tone really right so far and the panel definitely works. That's no good though if they ruin it with drab live shows and dull judges houses. They need to keep this chirpy, optimistic, fun tone running throughout. Easier said than done with the 6 Chair Challenge (which I do like but is a bit of a bloodbath). Judges houses should be more aspirational and less wet and the live shows just need more energy and some fresher production. They've got the auditions really right so far.

I remember the 2013 and 2014 series both got off to really promising starts too and whilst neither were bad series (definitely the two best series in the past 6 years) neither quite lived up to the potential. So we'll have to see. Although both of those years were relatively steady in the ratings (again, the steadiest of the past 6 years) so ITV would probably take another series like those two right now.

I don't see the ratings improving, but if they keep this up they could certainly steady the ship somewhat. It'll never beat Strictly again but I think ITV are well aware of that now. As long as it can hold decent ratings they'll be happy enough. It does seem to have generated a bit of positive feeling this weekend (Christian's audition definitely helping with that) but as I keep saying, it's early days. Particularly as last night's rating could well have been horrible.

Those decisions made in 2011 definitely cost the show dearly. That series really was a car crash. Even worse was the way they did very little to change things in 2012, which led to an even bigger drop that year. It actually started quite well in 2011 but all fell apart. The 2010 ratings were never sustainable but it could have fallen more gracefully than it did in 2011 and 2012. They've definitely righted some of those wrongs now, but is it too little too late? Some of the decisions made last year really didn't help matters either. I don't get quite what they were thinking. Had they done this series last year I suspect it might have done a fair bit better than it will this year as once you've lost viewers, they don't tend to come back.

Radio Times - Reviews, Victoria http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...shaky-delivery

And the SitComs. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...e-tv-originals

I enjoyed the SitCom's shows what has been missing in comedy.

Take out the pussy gag (never not funny) and it would be DOA. Mrs Slocombe's pussy still has cut-through today because it's not a word that's just thrown into common polite conversation. Without this mild frisson peppering the episode the rest would've been tedious beyond belief but that jolt every now and again kept reanimating the corpse and made the whole bearable.

Porridge was just cheap, poorly cast with lazy, reheated writing from a couple of writers who can't even remember their best days let alone re-create them. I wonder if they could possibly raise their game to do a Likely Lads one-off if Bolam and Bewes could bury the hatchet (preferably not in each others heads)? Academic though as it'll never happen but imagine the pathos that such an autumnal coda would bring about.

From rzt:

BBC 1
Countryfile - 5.73m (34.8%)
Antiques Roadshow - 5.62m (27.9%)
Are You Being Served? - 5.04m (24.5%)
Porridge - 4.39m (21.8%)

ITV (inc. +1)
Ellie Simmonds: Swimming with Dophins - 1.51m (9.2%)
The X Factor - 6.26m (31.0%)
* peak - 7.08m (33.1%) at 20:50
Victoria - 5.70m (29.6%)
* 6.03m (29.9%) at 21:00
* 5.25m (33.1%) at 22:30

Respectable figures for the ''remade'' sitcoms

Hope those figures don't mean one or both of the sitcom travesties gets remade

I enjoyes AYBS .... Porridge was okay but looked like it was done on the cheap

Good rating for Victoria, ITV made it very clear it continues tonight by mentioning it at the start and at the end.

The sitcoms didn't do as well as people on here thought they would do.

Word of mouth is going to have to work very hard for X Factor based on that.

Only mid range start for Victoria, it will need to timeshift well imo.

Not sure what to say about the sitcoms-apart from Mrs Brown they are practically dead in modern tv. I think the BBC will be happy with that overall performance-heavens AR is almost neck and neck with XF with the latter including a repeat.. ITV should do away with Bank Holiday launches imo.

Probably the same people who were predicting TXF would go over 7 million

Well a smaller decline for The X Factor than the last couple of years. I never quite get why Bank Holiday Sunday is such a pain to it? Because the older audience drift to Antiques Roadshow and the younger audience isn't around to pick up the difference?

Victoria started around where expected and tonight going to be key for it. Disastrous for Ellie Simmonds' show which is a shame.

Excellent figures for Countryfile and Antiques Roadshow, which resulted in BBC One having a very strong night. With Strictly and Poldark to come they're going to have some excellent figures come through on a Monday morning. Porridge saw a bigger decline than I expected after Are You Being Served? though.

The Bank Holiday/BBQ factor sounds like an excuse...but I think it does make a difference

Victoria seems to have had mainly very positive reviews in the press,even the Guardian reviewer seemed positive.