The live concert was a nice change from the usual, with Gary Barlow also acting as a sort of presenter at the start of the programme and during the handover to the fireworks. I also thought the transition during 'Auld Lang Syne' from the crowd outside back into Central Hall was very well done.
Gary Barlow might not be everyone's favourite musician but his style of music was perfect for BBC One's celebrations.
BBC Scotland's Hogmanay Live seemed to hit the right note too - they covered the fireworks in Edinburgh and Stirling, then either with careful planning or judicious use of an EVS, a synchronised rendition of Auld Lang Syne from three OBs. The music wasn't too fiddle-de-dee either - I quite liked the Pictish Trail's cover of Get Lucky (with a ceilidh band)
Either I'm getting older, BBC Scotland's Hogmanay programming is getting slightly more modern or both. I thought they did well again this year. Finally they seem to have worked out how to make it a little more modern without taking the traditional aspects of a Scottish Hogmanay out of the equasion.
Jackie Bird controlled it perfectly, it was a good call to jump throughout Scotland for the fireworks and the Auld Lang Syne thing was actually cleverly done. You could tell it was a hell of a production number though, it was a little rough round the edges, but actually more endearing for it.
The Get Lucky cover was bloody awful though. Nice idea, and they should attempt stuff like that in the future, but in my opinion at least it didn't come off.
Interesting that New Year is a much bigger deal in England these days. London's fireworks displays in the last couple of years have been amazing. All the while, it's wise for Scotland to slowly get more modern without trying to compete - it's a very different offering up here.
Where STV and ITV go to compete I'm not sure - they're probably not even too bothered as you're only getting a huge audience for the key 15 minutes, people go to the BBC for big occasions by default and it's not a hugely commercial audience as everyone has already spent their money at Christmas. Having the news on over the bells has always struck me as a daft idea though, and really outdated. Let's party with ITN.
It's not all that long ago that you'd get Big Ben's bongs during a break in a film on ITV. I think they should just beef the bulletin up a bit perhaps as a review of the year and with a bit more "on the ground" stuff, a bit like New Year Live when it began, rather than a retreated of the bulletin 90 minutes earlier.
ITV tried making a bit more effort a few years back with concerts and it clearly wasn't worth the cost.
To be honest, I reckon ITV needs to steer completely away from the news at all cost around the bells. Can you imagine switching on the telly for the bells at a house party to be confronted by depressing images of the year just gone, or whatever's happened that day? It's about reflection, sure, but New Year is mainly escapism - the idea that things will be so much better the following year.
To be honest, I reckon ITV needs to steer completely away from the news at all cost around the bells. Can you imagine switching on the telly for the bells at a house party to be confronted by depressing images of the year just gone, or whatever's happened that day? It's about reflection, sure, but New Year is mainly escapism - the idea that things will be so much better the following year.
NBC used to do Today Show specials called "Today in Primetime" (Although not on NYE), surely a "Daybreak in Primetime" type show based on the 7:40 to 8:30 slot would be ITV's easiest go at a NYE show? Daybreak's presenters are the 'faces' of ITV anyway, bar Phil and Holly maybe.
It's a good idea, but it's defeated by the sheer weakness of Daybreak as a brand. It's never recovered from its hugely shaky start. Also, breakfast TV has never been as big in this country as in the US. It's had its moments but I suspect most people would identify more with breakfast radio on the way to work.
In theory you could get ITV's biggest celebrities on air - the likes of Dermot O'Leary or whoever - but getting the big stars to do a live New Year's Eve show would be costly, and I suspect only so many people would watch ITV for huge events even if you offered every viewer a tenner...
Mind you, Lorraine Kelly would be a shout and a half for STV if it really wanted to go for BBC Scotland. Again though, cost implications mean it'll never happen.
Daybreak's presenters are the 'faces' of ITV anyway, bar Phil and Holly maybe.
To me, that's utter rubbish. Ant and Dec are stratospherically more linked with ITV than Aled Jones or Lorraine Kelly (and whoever else, as I don't actually know any of the rest).