New Years Eve ratings

I'm certainly no Take That fan, but I'd have thought it was easily the highlight of the New Years Eve programming...

but no, people still can't switch over from BBC1.


Ratings: at midnight (and average)
BBC1: New Year Live - 9.2m (6.3m)
BBC2: Jools Holland - 2.6m (2.9m)
ITV1: Take That at the O2 - 2.7m (2.4m)


I bet it'll be back to the bongs then for ITV next year.


I know in recent years that's all ITV have done, but historically did they do things more on a regional level at New Year?

I was less than impressed with BBC's coverage of the midnight fireworks display in London last night. The constant cutting between views - as well as the (to me) pointless shots of the guys on the boat - made me feel as though most of the best parts of the display were missed.

Either that or the fireworks weren't on par with previous years.

I believe so it was all done BY STV! at New Year

( apart from Grampian) as there clips everywhere of other ITV stations showing the stv hogmanay show, and cutting away form it just before the bells)

STV: never showed that take that thing till 12.40aminstead we have

9pm ITV crap
10pm History of Scotsport
11.15 Part1 - 50 greatest stv ads
11.50 Edinburgh live
12.15 Part2 of 50 greastest Tv ads

Do you know how this year's ratings compared with last year?

EDIT: Actually i've got them:

BBC1 New Year Live
2007 - 6.3m (9.2m at 00:00)
2006 - 7.1m (9.6m at 00:00)

BBC2 Hootenanny
2007 - 2.9m (2.6m at 00:00)
2006 - 2.3m (2.3m at 00:00)

ITV1 Take That Live at the O2 Arena
2007 - 2.4m (2.7m at 00:00)
ITV1 Film True Lies inc ITV News: New Year Bongs
2006 - 1.4m (1.3m at 00:00)

I presume STV got their usual thrashing, unassisted by highly unoriginal programming. A compilation of the best adverts of all time versus the biggest comedy in a decade in Scotland was never going to cut it.

Oddly stv.tv was advertising live programming from 11.15pm, so I don't know if it all started on the website first before going live on TV half an hour later. Seems they were aiming for ex-pat audience.

It was as though they hadn't been told anything about the format of the display, so they had no idea what to cut to next. Or they couldn't/didn't/wouldn't go as far as plotting an exact list of shots. I don't think the Olympic colours in the second half came across especially well either - the news agency photos I've seen online look much better. Plus there was one moment, on that wide angle shot behind a series of rooftops I couldn't identify, where a particularly big series of explosions completely washed the picture out for a second or two.

I always thought the best year was when they got a sports commentator, whose name I forget, to provide a proper description of the fireworks. Clare Balding was pretty good too when she did it.

Still I think the BBC's coverage won over Sydney - I wish Australian TV would broadcast that overseas in proper digital widescreen rather than having to endure the same grainy, analogue, DOG-laden off-air, non-clean feed every year. It would make their fireworks look so much better.

And all Sky could manage for midnight in London was the same pathetic over-exposed single camera shot from opposite the London Eye.

I note BBC HD choose to broadcast Jools on BBC2 rather than the London Embankment OB (assuming the latter was filmed in HD..)

Also I noticed there wasn't a 'BBC Events' endcap this year, although there were a load of names usually associated with BBC Events in the credits. And why did the credits say 2008 rather than MMVIII? An oversight? A one off for this programme in the belief BBC1 viewers wouldn't be clever enough to notice the change in the roman numerals? A precursor of another end-credit rule change?

Still, firework footage has moved on a long way since the Millennium and the "River of Fire", in my opinion.

Apart from switching to BBC1 for the bongs, I watched Hootenanny for most of the evening, simply because New Year Live was utter garbage.

Mylene Klass is nice to look at it but a good presenter she is not, and Nick Knowles is a scruffbag. I preferred the old Clive James shows looking at the year, funny and entertaining. But most of last night I was watching Jools.

What utter tripe New Year Live was. I think for me it won worst programme of the year award for 2007.

No real surprises with the presenting team of Nick Knowles and Myleene Class yet they seemed more bothered making rubbish jokes with the guy on the Thames, who seemed to see every five minutes.

Musical content was disappointing, you know it's bad when Richard Fleeshman is the best act, and the other entertainment was weak and few and far between.

Then if that wasn't enough, we were treated to the guy on the Thames talking over the fireworks saying obvious things ('the noise is incredible!' 'the fireworks are lighting up the sky' and 'it's 2008!' [really ]). We were also treated to close ups of random people in the crowd - I don't know why they couldn't have just done a sweeping shot with the rail cam starting on the crowd and then focusing on the fireworks instead.

If it weren't for the fact that BBC One shows the bongs and the fireworks I wouldn't have watched, and to be honest I will reconsider watching for 2008. Thankfully I recorded Jools, which was a much better offer.

At least the continuity afterwards was good with Duncan Newmarch and the team (including Becky Wright) wishing us a happy new year and then setting off party poppers and cheering.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Well I think this year's New Year Live was a huge improvement over the show last year... At least no performers this year, when asked what their resolution was replied "Never work with that sound man again" as Jamelia did last year. Technically the show was much better this year than last - not entirely hitch free, but a major improvement. (Think the rain caused an issue delaying one performance?)

It is very unlikely that anyone would have attempted to have scripted and shot listed the firework display on the Thames - until you see the scale and magnitude of the display you are unlikely to know exactly how to cover it, nor are your camera operators likely to be able to rehearse it... That really is a case of adlibbing.

Fireworks on TV are notoriously difficult to capture - and this year I noticed there was no helicopter (which Sydney used well on their coverage) - possibly for weather or cost reasons? (It was very wet it seemed) Balancing sitting on a wideshot and taking close-ups, and reaction cutaways is a tricky one. Think the commentary was reduced yet more than previous years , and the reaction shots of the kids were much more effective than the adults, and worth it IMHO.

Not sure if Embankment was HD this year - may well not have been.

How well did The Big Finish with Graham Norton do?