ITV Discussion Thread

I doubt that - the X Factor doesnt start until Mid August.


Anyway saw this on Media Guardian:

Echo Beach flounders
Leigh Holmwood guardian.co.uk,
Monday February 18 2008

This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Monday February 18 2008. It was last updated at 12:40 on February 18 2008.

ITV1's struggling soap Echo Beach dipped to a new low on Friday, February 15, when it pulled in just 1.9 million viewers at 9.30pm.

The show, which stars Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon, attracted an average audience share of 8% over 30 minutes, according to unofficial overnights.

Last week it pulled in 2.3 million and a 10% share.

Its linked comedy show, Moving Wallpaper, did better, pulling in 2.4 million and a 10% share at 9pm, but was still down from 2.7 million and an 11% share last week.

BBC1's drama repeat New Tricks won the 9pm slot, pulling in 4.6 million and a 20% share over an hour.

BBC2's The Choir: Boys Don't Sing attracted 2.6 million and an 11% share in the 9pm hour while Channel 4's Rude Tube picked up 2.5 million and an 11% share in the same slot with a further 290,000 watching on Channel +1 an hour later.

Channel Five's US drama NCIS scored 2.3 million and a 10% share between 9pm and 10pm.

BBC1 won the 10pm slot with its news attracting 4.5 million and a 22% share over 35 minutes while ITV1's Al Murray's Happy Hour picked up 2.6 million and a 14% share over an hour.

BBC2's panel show QI scored 2.6 million and a 13% share between 10pm and 10.30pm while Five's drama repeat Law and Order: Special Victims Unit picked up 1.4 million and a 7% share between 10pm and 11pm.

Channel 4's Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong scooped 1.2 million and a 6% share between 10pm and 10.50pm.

If, and it's a big if they're going to bring back Echo Beach/Moving Wallpaper, would it be a better idea to make Moving Wallpaper an hour long say on a Monday night, looking at a week's worth of episodes, and then creating 3 episodes of echo beach and giving them to ITV2, it could grow a better following placed at say 8:30pm Tues-Thurs on ITV2, and also become as standalone as it's sister show.

I think the problem with it is the fact that not much has happened. I haven't been an avid viewer, but maybe it needs heavy storylines to make it work, and turn it into a proper show rather than a comedy soap hybrid.

Well I doubt there's any chance of it returning, but I don't think making more out of it would have be a good idea.


They should have stuck with their original plan of Moving Wallpaper on ITV1, Echo Beach on ITV2.

Why? What difference would that have made?

I think pairing MW with EB on the same channel has probably done it more harm than good.

I've said it before - so here we go again - I think Moving Wallpaper should have been far more stand-alone. And Echo Beach needs to follow either on ITV2, or after the news on ITV1.

Wasn't it EB on 1, MW on 2?

Great, now I sound like Tumble Tower...

But why?! I don't understand why separating the two shows could possibly do them any good. At the moment, they follow on from each other so, if you want to watch Echo Beach, you'll stick with it. If there's a gap between the two shows, or a change of channel involved, they are bound to have a significantly higher number of people not bothering.

No, it was definitely Moving Wallpaper on ITV1.

I think Echo Beach should move to ITV2 or be scrapped. I think Moving Wallpaper will continue to have suitable raitings. I think that Coleen's Real Women should be shown on ITV1, if they make a 2nd series of it I reckon it will be.

Echo Beach was designed as an ITV2 spin-off. The premise of the initial show was a comedy about a spoof soap, but the twist was that ITV2 would screen that spoof soap in it's entirety as a bonus each week.


The problem with putting it on ITV1 is they've tried to sell it as an actual quality soap, but even the dumbest of EastEnders fans can see through that.

Yes.