Fantasy ITV1 schedules

Does it really? What happens if there's a two hour drama at 9pm then like a Jane Austen adaptation or Marple?

Yes, the last series went out after News Knight and the News at 10:45pm.

ITV’s flagship arts series THE SOUTH BANK SHOW continues its thirtieth series by moving to the earlier time-slot of 10.45PM for its summer trench of films, starting on SUNDAY 10 JUNE with JARVIS: RUNNING THE WORLD – THE SOUTH BANK SHOW, profiling one of Britain’s best-loved musicians and cultural icons Jarvis Cocker.

"The series continues every SUNDAY at 10.45PM up to the 29 JULY with: the actors’ actor MICHAEL SHEEN (17/06), who is fast becoming the biopic actor of his generation; pop diva MARIANNE FAITHFULL (24/06); the notable Iraqi-British architect ZAHA HADID (1/07) who is currently working on the UK’s Olympic Aquatic Centre; and Shakespeare’s play MACBETH (8/07) which more than any other of his works has a daily resonance in political and cultural life today. Continuing throughout July THE SOUTH BANK SHOW takes to the road with the bard of Barnsley IAN MCMILLAN (15/07); Queen of Baroque, soprano EMMA KIRKBY (22/07); and the grandmother of television comedy JUNE WHITFIELD (29/07)."

The Autumn series probably will not, as you say due to the 2 hour dramas. But that aside, no point wiping it away from existance for the convenience of your schedule when Michael Grade has already demonstrated a long term commitment to the show on Sunday nights.

Wipe it from existence? I forgot about it. I don't think I've ever watched a full episode of it.

It would probably do better elsewhere. 10.30pm in the week after News at Ten.

It's established though in the late slot is it not - it's not as if ITV have decided to move it from 9pm a few years ago.


Don't suggest putting it on earlier - ITV will just end up moving the Sunday news as well to virtually midnight meaning just one primetime bulletin all weekend.


I just don't understand how they are getting away with their Saturday bulletins being at 4.30pm and 11.45pm.



Does the South Bank Show get a repeat showing on ITV3? If it doesn't, it should!

Anyway, I've been thinking about how Grade can call this all a revamp and I've come up with a schedule that I feel is both realistic and positive in terms of changes.

The News changes to introduce more rigid bulletins. Firstly, a 15-minute, fixed 5.45pm bulletin 7 days a week arrives. Monday to Friday this is followed with 30 minutes of regional news. A fixed, 10-minute Weekend News bulletin airs on Saturday and Sunday at 11pm. The weekend schedules have to work around the 5.45pm/11pm News bulletins on these days. I've included an entirely viable example of how this would work below.

6.30pm on weeknights is turned into quiz show time, as I feel there is a market at that time for a good quiz show. Be it Golden Balls or whatever else, it goes in this slot Monday to Thursday. On Friday, 6.30pm to 7.30pm is a CD:UK / Orange Playlist type show which is TOTP-esque - a chart rundown with performances.

The soaps are banished from the weekends, a move which is good for quality and variety, which allows for Millionaire to make a permanent move to 7pm on Sundays. When Millionaire isn't on, this still is a slot for a 'big' quiz show like Poker Face or Duel. The Bill is also scaled back to once a week, and is rigidly set at 8pm on Wednesdays - very little should mean this has to move, awards shows can go on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

The two regional slots from Tues/Thurs are occupied by Tonight with Trevor McDonald, with the regional programming moving to a new 6pm home every Sunday night for one hour. South Bank show airs after the 11pm Weekend News at 11.15pm on Sunday.

All the changes I feel would reinvigorate the schedule whilst still being commercially OK, especially the quiz shows in peak time (6.30 Monday to Thursday and 7pm Sunday) and the altered schedules on Friday night. With Trev moved, only Monday night is not an hour-long slot at 8pm, which is a good thing I feel with more space for shows like Ladette to Lady and Trinny and Susannah etc.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1918/itvprimetime2008ut8.gif

Weekdays

6.00- Regional News
6.30- National News
7.00- Mon/Weds/Fri- Emmerdale. Tues/Thurs- The Bill
7.30- Mon/Weds/Fri- Coronation Street. Tues/Thurs- Regional
8.00- Mon-Thurs- Lifestyle eg Trinny & Susannah, Ladette to Lady. Fri- Tonight
8.30- (Friday Only) Flexible slot*
9.00- Drama/Sitcom/Reality eg I'm a Celebrity
10.00- News at Ten
10.25- Regional News
10.35- Late night Drama
11.00 onwards- Post peak programming

* Wednesdays Corrie moved here when the football is in. If not, then the slot either goes to Airline or 90 minute shows such as I'm a Celebrity (if extended)

Saturday

4.00- Saturday Film
6.00- Regional News
6.10- National News
6.15- You've Been Framed/TV Burp
6.45- The X Factor/Dancing on Ice
8.15- Family Fortunes/Ant & Dec/Primeval
9.00- The X Factor/Dancing on Ice Results
9.25- An Audience WIth ...
10.20- National News
10.25- Regional news
10.30- Chatshow

Sunday

6.00- Regional News
6.10- National News
6.20- Sitcom
6.50- Creature Comforts or a small show like that, maybe an entertainment news show like the one on ITV2
7.00- CD:UK style show
8.00- Heartbeat etc
9.00- 90-120 minute drama/film
10.30- National news
10.40- Regional news
10.45- Club Reps or something similar to that

By doing this, news programming would be at set times, with films not interrupted by news. Also, reality shows would be limited to the main 4- I'm a Celebrity, Dancing on Ice, X Factor and Britains Got Talent, which would run in the I'm a Celebrity block. More regional programming would be introduced- but at times where there is stiff competition on other channels so ITV wouldn't have made much money from it anyway. There would also be a flexible slot so that the rest of the weeks schedule isn't moved about to make way for Coronation Street, speaking of which would be limited to 3 episodes a week, with Emmerdale on 2. That wouldn't happen in the real world, but it would increase demand for it so could make viewing figures higher, plus producers would be able to think about quality over quantity. The Bill would also take this approach, and cut down to 2 seperate half hour shows.

Primetimes on ITV1

Monday
1730 ITV News at 530; ITV National Weather
1800 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1830 Lifestyle Series e.g. Trinny and Susannah
1930 Coronation Street
2000 World In Action
2030 Wish You Were Here?, We Can Work It Out!, The Holiday Show (combining the old Holiday's From Hell and Package Holiday series')
2100 British Drama Series'
2200 ITV News at Ten; ITV National Weather
2230 ITV Regional News Update; ITV Regional Weather
2245 British Documentary Series' (until 1145pm)

Tuesday

1730 ITV News at 530; ITV National Weather
1800 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1830 Gameshows
1900 Emmerdale
1930 British Factual/Magazine Series
1930 Champions League
2000 Stars In Their Eyes, Stars In Their Eyes Celebrity Specials, Find A Fortune, Surprise! Surprise!, This Is Your Life, Other British Entertainment Series'
2000 Champions League
2100 Tonight (now based loosley on First Tuesday and Network First), Britain's Most Wanted, Crime Monthly
2200 ITV News At Ten; ITV National Weather
2230 ITV Regional News Update; ITV Regional Weather
2245 US Drama's (until 1145pm)

Wednesday

1730 ITV News at 530; ITV National Weather
1800 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1830 Gameshows
1900 Emmerdale
1930 Coronation Street
2000 The Bill
2100 British Drama Series'
2200 ITV News at Ten; ITV National Weather
2230 ITV Regional News Update; ITV Regional Weather
2245 Kick-Off, Sport In Question, Talking Balls! (until 1145pm)

Thursday

1730 ITV News at 530; ITV National Weather
1800 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1830 Gameshows
1900 Emmerdale
1930 Regional Programmes
2000 Airline and other Fly-on-the-wall Series'
2030 Primeaval, Doc Martin, Other British Drama Series'
2130 British Comedies
2200 ITV News at Ten; ITV National Weather
2230 ITV Regional News Update; ITV Regional Weather
2245 Various British Series' (until 1145pm)

Friday

1730 ITV News at 530; ITV National Weather
1800 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1830 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Poker Face, Duel, The Music Quiz (based upon My Kind of Music), 3 2 1
1930 Coronation Street
2000 The Big Story, A Current Affair, Other British Current Affairs Series
2030 TV Burp, You've Been Framed and other British Comedy Shows
2100 British Drama Series'
2200 ITV News at Ten; ITV National Weather
2230 ITV Regional News Update; ITV Regional Weather
2245 Late Night British Entertainment shows (loosley based on the old God's Gift, The James Whale Radio Show) (until 1145pm)

Saturday

1710 ITV Weekend News; ITV National Weather
1730 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1800 Talent Shows e.g. The X Factor, Britains Got Talent, Dancing On Ice
1930 Saturday Night Takeaway, Gameshow Marathon, The Gladiators, All Star Family Fortunes, Russian Roulette
2030 Talent Show Results Programmes
2100 British Reality Shows e.g. From Ladette to Lady, Bad Lads Army
2200 Chat Shows e.g. The Frank Skinner Show, Al Murray's Happy Hour
2300 ITV Weekend News; ITV National Weather
2320 The Saturday Night Movie (until about 120am)

Sunday

1710 ITV Weekend News; ITV National Weather
1730 ITV Regional News; ITV Regional Weather
1800 Regional Programmes
1830 CD:UK
1930 Bullseye, The Pyramid Game, Winner Takes All
2000 Heartbeat, The Royal, Wild At Heart, Other British Drama Series
2100 Feature-length British Drama's
2300 ITV Weekend News; ITV National Weather
2320 The South Bank Show, Other British Series
0020 ITV Religion (until 120am)

What are people's thoughts on the evening News moving to 5.30/5.40/5.45 to allow the 6.30pm slot to be free for a gameshow or something?

1745 News at 545
1800 Regional News
1830 Golden Balls?
1900 Emmerdale

Daily.

Just an idea.

ah Good UTV and STV can have there news hours then

Porn 24/7.

Well, my thoughts are that I hope you never get a job at ITV1 scheduling!


I see no reason to move the Evening News at all - especially not to make way for a tacky cheap 30-minute game show.


Yes, a few more gameshows in the schedule would be nice - but they need to be quality shows, and more a case of one a week, not one a night!

It's the 8pm slot which is ideal to try out some gameshows in - perhaps freeing up the post-Corrie slot on Wednesday by moving one edition of The Bill to 9pm (and hence solving that nights 9pm drama problem!).

Then after a few months if they've got two or three formats out of it that should perform well in the slot any night of the week, they can then begin to consider the more streamlined scheduling of the 7pm soap hour, 8pm game shows / entertainment and 9pm dramas.

15 minutes of national news and half a flippin hour for regional news?