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ITV cuts The Bill to once a week

Also set to move post-watershed in a major schedule shake-up (January 2009)

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DA
David_02
Just read this on Media Guardian. Peter Fincham looks set to shake up the ITV1 schedule later this year by moving The Bill to a post-watershed slot and dropping one episode:

Quote:
Long-running police drama The Bill will drop one of its weekly episodes and move to a once-a-week 9pm slot in a major shakeup of ITV1's peaktime schedule.

The police drama, which has screened as two hour-long weekly episodes for more than a decade, will be repositioned in the post-watershed 9pm to 10pm slot as a grittier action-filled series airing once a week.

Peter Fincham, ITV director of television, said the change would mark a new era for the programme. "I'm delighted to announce The Bill's transition to a weekly 9pm drama on ITV1. It's a fantastic opportunity to take the series to another level, marking a new era for one of the most established brands on British television."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/22/the-bill-cut-to-once-a-week

I wonder if there will be more changes afoot, particularly for Emmerdale and Corrie?
:-(
A former member
this does open up the Question What will replace it? I wonder if this is linked to the football.

There now have 2-- 1 hour slot to fill each week.

I would still love to see Emmerdale become hourly Tuesday and Thursday. and freeing up more slots for other shows. for even a nice gameshow!
LC
Lewis c
Bad move guess this is the end for The Bill then this is so ITV .
CY
cylon6
Lewis c posted:
Bad move guess this is the end for The Bill then this is so ITV .


I'm not so sure, as someone else has said I think they are doing this because of all the football they'll be showing. But I think more changes are to come.
ST
Standby
Messing around with a ratings banker like The Bill seems idiotic to me.
As already said, what the hell are they going to replace it with?
MM
McMahon
This is a good idea, unusually, from modern-day ITV. An earlier comment here has written it is a bad move. It is the right decision.... I cannot believe it - I am agreeing with Peter Fincham.
I cannot vouch for television before Easter 1985 but The Bill used to be on for 30 minutes per week. I think it was extended in the mid-to-late 1990s.
:-(
A former member
McMahon posted:
This is a good idea, unusually, from modern-day ITV. An earlier comment here has written it is a bad move. It is the right decision.... I cannot believe it - I am agreeing with Peter Fincham.
I cannot vouch for television before Easter 1985 but The Bill used to be on for 30 minutes per week. I think it was extended in the mid-to-late 1990s.


yip, The Bill went on to be three half hour episodes per week between 1988 and 1998 because of a drop in ratings before going to two 60 minute episodes per week - thats from wiki,

I wonder what else is getting changed/
EJ
EJNutz
I think it is a good move. I get fed up watching it twice a week. So I stopped watching it altogether. Once a week will be better.
DA
David_02
Standby posted:
Messing around with a ratings banker like The Bill seems idiotic to me.
As already said, what the hell are they going to replace it with?


Peter Fincham made a comment last year about wanting more midweek entertainment on ITV1, much like the networks have in the USA by airing big shows like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol on weeknights, but at the time they were restricted by the 8pm slot which is currently taken up with 'soaps' on four of the five nights.

Wednesday nights will also be airing football for a large chunk of the year, so it was going to have to vacate the slot on a permanent basis anyway.
BR
Brekkie
Not hugely surprised - moving it to 9pm saved them searching for other drama to fill the slot, but I'd have thought they'd keep it twice a week, but with episodes dropped when football airs.

I can't see either Emmerdale or Corrie being cut back, and I can't really see how they'll fill The Bill's existing slots - hopefully not more Trinny and Susanah.
:-(
A former member
come on gameshow.
JE
Jez Founding member
Im glad they are reducing it to 1 show per week - 2 can be hard to keep up with sometimes and I often miss episodes.

Hope reducing Corrie and Emmerdale is on the cards next.

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