Waking the Dead really is a great show, but the 6.4 million figure it gets does not justify it, if only it had a better lead in.

rzt you have panoroma starting at 22.00 instead of 8.30

NaT have the right idea. Go after real news scoops and deliver something people havent seen already on News 24/ BBC News C(c)hannel/ The News Channel or Sky News.

They have been regularly scooping the BBC 10 lately (after a very poor start of missing a scoop with Sir Trev & Gordy )

Its certainly delivering kudos, awards will come as well & maybe eventually ratings. Its a long road & a hard slog but thats how you build an audience.

lol- can't edit it now. Oh well!

Yes, hopefully it is on the up because it's very well produced and I prefer it to the BBC News. But what I have noticed after flicking over a few times is that the BBC can be quite sneaky starting their bulletin just before 10pm at about 21.59 therefore the audience stays with them and NaT starts at 10pm exactly, but last night it started at 21.59. It probably doesn't make much difference, but it seems a coincidence that it picked up one of it's biggest audiences since January last night.

Also documentaries seem to be very popular on ITV at the moment and I think it's good scheduling putting up something completely different to Waking The Dead and it shows it can pull in a decent audience.

Good stuff for News at Ten last night! It was very good though, and an excellent China scoop in there too.

Dramas getting 4m tops, doc's getting 5m+. Dramas cost £1m plus an hour, a doc maybe 1/2 of that. I think we will be seeing more documentaries under Fincham.

News at Ten was promoted on Channel 4 News last night, paired with a show which may appeal to the demographic combined with News at Tens small loyal following and it results in an extra 0.5m-1m viewers, BBC News slightly more dented and a smaller gap than usual.

They need more shows like that where News at Ten will appeal to those watching the 9pm show.

anything to report for Neighbours for 1:45pm, 5:30pm (or 7pm on Fiver)?

They're very rarely reported, unless there's a huge decrease/surge in viewers or a programme against it has pulled in strong ratings.

But usually...

1:45pm-1.1 million
5:30pm-1.9 million
7pm-0.2 million

If you're thinking that ratings may have gone up because of the advertising of the wedding then I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the officials come out in 2 weeks time. If I have time I'll post the officials for you.

thanks ZoeMcCallister, your a gem, the Neighbours @ 7pm slot has increase to 0.3m

TBH I think a few documentaries on ITV1 is not a bad thing especially if they are similar in quality to The Duke and The Duchess in Hull. In fact, ITV have a travelogue show with Griff Rhys Jones travelling to London, Paris and New York which should do very well.

While it's unlikely for ITV1 to do something like Planet Earth or The Life Series, it wouldn't do them any harm commissioning a few wildlife documentaries as they do well ratings wise for BBC One/Two and Five.

They need to develop or renew some documentary strands. They used to have Survivor for nature docs. BBC1 has Who Do You Think You Are? and a few others. ITV need to get a couple of strands going.

The only one left is the South Bank Show arts strand & it is still looking good.

Few more Monday ratings
19.30- Coronation Street: 9.4m (38.5%) * that share is probably incorrect. It was probably around 44%

All hours shares for Monday 19 May 2008: BBC1 – 21.7%, ITV1 – 21.5%, BBC2 – 8.1%, C4 – 6.8% (C4+1 – 0.5%), Five - 5%, multichannel – 36.4%.

Peaktime (6pm to 10.30pm) shares: ITV1 – 26.2%, BBC1 – 24.8%, BBC2 - 9%, C4 – 5.7% (C4+1 – 0.6%), Five – 4.5%, multichannel – 29.1%.
----------------------
Also Moving Wallpaper is returning, but not Echo Beach:

ITV1's Moving Wallpaper to return
Sitcom Moving Wallpaper will return to ITV1 next year, the commercial channel has confirmed - but without Echo Beach, its accompanying soap opera.

The shows - the brainchild of former EastEnders writer Tony Jordan - were launched in tandem earlier this year, to a mixed critical reception.

When Moving Wallpaper returns for a second series, though, scenes from Echo Beach will be incorporated within it.

"We think it will work better in a new format," said an ITV spokeswoman.

Set in fictional coastal resort Polnarren, Echo Beach starred Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon as ex-lovers reunited in the Cornish surfing town.

In Moving Wallpaper, comedian Ben Miller played a hapless producer hired to make Echo Beach a success.

I agree, a few South Bank Show specials in a 9pm slot would be ideal though it would be a risk. Bringing back the Survival strand would be great as well, didn't they air a nature series a year or two ago?

The highest of the week usually pulls in 0.3m but the lowest usually pulls in 0.15m so I was working out a rough average

Yes, I have already suggested a News at Ten spin-off with Julie Etchingham called Special Assignment.

This documentary can be compared to World in Action, looking at important world issues of the time with extensive research and reporting.

Not only could this bring in 4+ million for ITV, it could boost the overall audience for News at Ten, which could reach around 3.5 million viewers. Also, it will increase the popularity of a commercial broadcaster that isn't doing too well and will bring a different type of audience. A mix of documentaries, perhaps on average once a week, could really help News at Ten in the long run as well as ITV's reputation.

The programme I have invented could win awards and become well known for brilliant journalism and an in-depth analysis spin-off from News at Ten. It gives ITV a lot more variety during weekdays, instead of an overload of drama.

What does everybody think?

^ Isn't Tonight basically the same thing?

Also what time would you want to show your show?

By the way I like your suggestions- I can see you working at ITV one day.

I'm looking forward to the Griff Rhys Jones show-it should be good. I'm starting to wonder where it'll be slotted though, because it doesn't seem like 9pm material, although after the success of the docs over the past 2 weeks maybe ITV will take a risk.

It would be good for ITV to comission some wildlife docs and branch out a bit. I can see the Summer season being quite successful for ITV as they have documetaries at the centre of it.

Yeah, that share seems way too high for 7:30pm and is identical to the 8:30pm share-another mistake from Broadcast probably.

I'm glad Moving Wallpaper is returning and I think it will work well without Echo Beach attached to it, just clips in it. That itself could boost the show by 0.5m and a day change and perhaps slot change could boost the show by up to 1.0m, though the trouble is it will have to gain back the viewers it lost throuhout series 1, which could be quite hard.


I don't think the South Bank Show will work in the 9pm slot and i don't think ITV will take that risk. I actually think it doesn't perform very well in its slot at the moment either, but I think ITV are keeping it as its good to say that they have an 'Arts Show' and it has good reviews.

Tonight is mainly a consumer news type show plus human interest. I dont think ITV want to go down the route of US style shows like Dateline, ABC's Primetime or 48 Hours. I think they need ideas that are fresh but populist. Stuff like last years Robbie Coltrane B roads did well, Sandbanks, Anne Widdecombe. They are also crying out for a few proper nature docs (not Extinct!) and a good populist business show (something that goes beyond a copy of Dragons Den or the Apprentice)

I think its a good idea, but I can never see ITV scheduling that sort of thing, but I do think that Julie can easily be he sole presenter of NaT and she would be much better on her own imo.

Also regarding the docs/factuals ITV try to produce at least 1 a week in the Tuesday 9pm slot, but the problem is shows like Too Fat To Toddle, Cops With Cameras, Ladette To Lady are all the wrong type of factual/docs tht ITV sould be producing.

ITV also have Tonight & usually a show on at teatime Sunday.

Some of the more popular subjects could go out at 9pm. Stuff like Gore Vidal is always going to be on late but film, pop music or tv star profiles could run at 9pm

I agree - they could do specialist documentaries on subject matters like Amy Winehouse for example that would pull in decent ratings I believe. If it was me I'd schedule The South Bank Show proper in a 10.00pm slot on a Friday night (A risk but worth taking considering that the audience is likely to be in at this time and its offering an alternative to BBC News/
Jonathan Ross/Friday Night Project etc.). Then I think ITV1 could schedule The South Bank Show Specials in the 9.00pm Monday slot.

I'm glad Moving Wallpaper is returning though it will be interesting how it is reworked to incorporate Echo Beach, I think it could still work in a Friday slot though it would a good lead in like Bernidorm or Headcases.

I like ITV1's Friday Night comedy but they need to broaden it to include sketch shows and panel shows as well as sitcoms.

Presumably, it will have a similar format to shows like "Annually Retentive"...


K

E4 (inc. +1)
7pm Hollyoaks 710,700
7.30pm My Name Is Earl 388,700
8pm Friends 263,900
8.30pm Friends 322,500
9pm The Wedding Planner 412,800
11pm Hollyoaks: In The City 52,600

More4 (inc. +1)
7pm Grand Designs 150,500
8pm More4 News 41,300
8.30pm The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 32,200
9pm Grand Designs 145,800
10pm Shrink Rap 112,300
11pm ER 51,600

Film4 (inc. +1)
7pm The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill... 84,300
9pm Crash 378,500