Christmas TV 2018

'realise'

I've always suspected the BBC hoped 'Sounds Like Friday Night' would be that 'hip' music show, to the point instead of TOTP it would be 'Sounds Like Christmas Day' with an added Christmas chart run down.

However, you have to run it for more than 12 shows per year (i.e weekly) for something like that to stick.

It's simple, the people who are crying for TOTP to come back wouldn't watch it if it did because they have no interest in the music, whereas the people who the music does appeal to wouldn't be interested in watching TOTP. That's why it's not coming back as a regular show. That's why it got axed as a regular show to begin with.

I imagine most of the outcry when it was axed came from people who hadn't watched it in years. A bit like when Woolworths went bust.

Just noticed the CA on ITV just said that Monsters Inc was ‘slightly later than billed’ - how on earth have they managed to run late on Christmas Day? Would have thought the news (and maybe a church service) would be the only live things, and can’t see why either would run behind?

I think they only bring it back at Christmas because it’s tradition.

The Christmas Day edition is moving earlier in the day each year, and the New Year’s Eve one seems to be only there to make the production cost effective and is thrown out in any old slot.

I imagine they’ve just padded something out after The Queen. They’ve ended up with a 20 min slot for the news which I expect they want to bring down to 15.

The BBC manage it every year.

The Queen's Broadcast is a movable feast though, and is recorded post TV Guide print run. It doesn't have a fixed length, that's where the problems kick in. The BBC tend to get the length right more often than not. They'll over estimate and use trailers to fill in the junctions up to around 1900 when they get synchronised. It really doesn't matter that much as the key junction is 1500, and invariably the vast majority of the audience is sedentarial anyway, for subsequent programming.

Schedules are strategically manoeuvred to prevent flicking, especially at Christmas and the soaps. This was prevalent with EastEnders last night when it finished at about 21.04 instead of 21.00. They'll then just say 'later than billed'.

BBC One’s schedules always seem quite loose on Christmas Day with loads and loads of trailers between each programme. I suppose they’ve got a large captive audience so will want to promote everything else they’ve got across the whole season.

Regarding ITV running late, it seems they realised that Paul O’Grady with no adverts would only last 55 minutes, they were back on track for the news at 6:55

How can ITV not sell advertising for Paul O'Grady on Christmas night?

People who moan about Christmas night schedules on British television should be thankful for what they do provide, as in the USA, their Christmas night schedules are truly appalling.

Below is what is on prime time on NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox this Christmas night (Times are from New York stations)

NBC - 7.00pm Extra, The World of Entertainment. 7.30pm Access. 8.00pm Dr Seuss, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. 8.30pm Movie: How The Grinch Stole Christmas (until 11.00pm).

CBS - 7.00pm Inside Edition. 7.30pm Entertainment Tonight. 8.00pm NCIS (repeat). 9.00pm God Friended Me (repeat). 10.00pm FBI (repeat) until 11.00pm.

ABC - 8.00pm NBA Basketball (Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors from Oracle Arena. 10.30pm Blackish (repeat) until 11.00pm.

FOX - 8.00pm Lethal Weapon (repeat). 9.00pm The Gifted (repeat). Fox prime time ends at 10.00pm.

Well - All very festive .... not. It is as if Christmas television does not exist on Christmas Day in the states, with the networks airing their Christmas programming before Christmas Day.

Its Xmas night, and paul is in the news slot which never has much ads anyways,