ITV1 Prime Time schedule - needs revamping?

But realistically the 7pm Premiership was never going to work because it was breaking up a relatively successful ITV schedule. I think it would have worked for C4, five or BBC2 - and even BBC1 now which apart from Strictly Come Dancing, doesn't really have a Saturday schedule now.

You're right it was never going to work. But been slotted between you've been framed and Blind Date wasn't the reason it failed.

Interesting.
The news at 5:30, 8:30 and 11 is quite a nice idea as it would free up the schedule for movies and 2 hours dramas, though the football would get in the way of the 8:30.

Plus would the 8:30 news pull viewers back to the channel for the 9pm bulletin?

And where would the Paul O Grady show go? It's proved a big hit for ITV1 in the 5pm slot, would it be moved prime time or to daytime?

At the moment, I do think there are too many soaps as many do, but you still get the 10 million or so that watch them everyday.
Stripping the schedule would work in this case with them at the same time every night.

I don't like the soaps on a sunday, and I quite like the idea of moving heartbeat/the royal to 7, plus of course that would mean that they could run these for 6 months each or two sets of 12 eps a year along with running Where the Heart Is and similar series at 8pm before drama premieres at 9.

Alternatively they could add an entertainment element or documentaries.

That's what I don't like about ITV at the moment, the fact that they make great programmes, especially Documentaries and even comedies, but they seem to put them into odd slots in the schedule, it's just a shame.

I think the format of:

5.00 Networked foreign import, something to hook CITV audience onto
5.30 ITV Tonight (Incorporates regional news)
6.30 Emmerdale
7.00 Coronation Street
7.30 Regional Factual
8.00 Gameshow
8.30 ITV Tonight (Incorporating regional news)
9.00 Drama (eg Footy Wives, Midsomer, Film)

they cant put the news on at 8.30pm -unless they want to destroy the ratings!!
there is no way it could go on itv before 10pm

This is the schedule id like to see

5.10pm Imported Soap
5.40pm ITV News
6.00pm Regional News
6.30pm Regional Programmes
7.00pm Quiz shows (Wed/Fri) Emmerdale (Mon/Tues/Thurs)
7.30pm Corrie (Mon/Wed/Fri) Regional Progs (Tues/Thurs)
8.00pm Tonight (Mon/Fri) The Bill (Tues/Wed/Thurs)
8.30pm ITV News
9.00pm One off Drama's, 2 part drama's, long running drama series (e.g Footballers Wives, Bad Girls etc), Reality TV, films etc
11.00pm ITV News Headlines
11.05pm Regional News
11.15-11.45pm Regional Programmes

I would like to see the news back at eleven. I think the hole ITV1 schedule could do with a revamp. What about the Lunchtime News starting at twelve, because its not doing too good in its current time slot is it? Then this morning could start at ten, with a 35 minute programme from 9.25, I think its best changed to 9.30 now! I would also like a revamp of the 'after the news through the night' time schedule. Maybe a nightly entertainment show with ent news/ music videos and that at midnight or so...

Well there are plans for the news to run for an hour at lunchtime, they are also axing the 3pm regional bulletin apparently.

ITV have confirmed X Factor 2 will run for 21 weeks from August until December this year, with the same judges.5 months seems a very long time for the show to run.Will the audience follow it for so long, or join the programme in the later stages?

The audience usually increases week on week, especially for the live shows. I find the audition shows very repetitive.

That is why I've suggested that in shows like these the auditions should be stranded across one-week to get them out of the way quickly (and in Pop Idols case, the heats!).


As for it lasting 21 weeks - it's about time British programmes got longer runs - especially for drama and comedy. Most US programmes air for 22-24 episodes a "season" (if not axed by episode 3!), usually in three blocks, yet UK dramas are only 6-10 episodes a series.

But then again ITV aren't known for their comedy, and when they find something they get it out of the main schedule anyway.
And I don't think I'd like to see 22 weeks of Taggart or Midsummer Murders.

If they went and developed a good gripping series not based on Murders for once, then maybe it would work.
I'd certainly like to see the majority of extended to 12/13 weeks rather than just 6 - 8. Though of course they've got to keep drama premieres.

Some of the drama premieres could be made into great series themselves. A bit like Christmas Lights is becoming a series called Northern Lights.
Look at this Ahead of Class tomorrow, based on a true story, looks like a great series, maybe they are considering making this into a series, though that may end up a bit like Hope & Glory.
And there's the drama premiere in a few weeks called Big Dippers starring James Nesbitt about two guys who find a briefcase filled with money, etc, a good story, but characters that could be used well.

As for long running dramas, I've seen a trailer for Rescue Me, the American series about the fire service, now if Steel River Blues had been like this, I doubt it would have been axed!

How about this:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-2/951415/itv.GIF

A much better range of different genres. At the end of the day, Coronation Street and Emmerdale are not going to reduce episode quotas to any less than five, so as Brekkie Boy tried, I have gone for a way which accomodates both five episodes and a nice schedule.

Coronation Street airs Sunday Monday Wednesday & Friday at 7.30pm with an extra episode as part of Friday night's lineup at 9pm. Each week the 9pm episode could be used as a climax to the week's events and also to screen post-watershed content such as mild-language.

Emmerdale airs Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday & Friday at 7.00pm.

There is a range of Documentaries and Regional programming, plus Drama.

ITV News airs at 6.00pm till 7.00pm including Regional, National and Internation news. The late news airs at 10pm for 15 minutes. ITV should focus on their teatime bulletin and leave the late bulletin short. This allows further dramas, documentaries and films to be in an earlier slot, rather than 11pm, which is too late for many.

I also think ITV should create an established drama to rival BBC1s Casualty on Saturday's. Furthermore, I have included an established late drama to the Wednesday lineup at 10.15pm. There are two Lifestyle slots on Monday and Wednesday at 8.30pm which would include programmes to rival Channel 4's plethora of House programmes and health shows as well as holiday programmes and general lifestyle programming.

I feel my lineup adds variety to ITV whilst keeping within the boundaries of what is possible.

Views?