Nigel Pickard fights back

That's a very simplistic way of looking at it, as if to say that no other channel is allowed to have high rating programmes. It's the way that if BBC1 or Channel 4 have a popular programme, the ITV1 programme as a result is therefore unpopular and is therefore axed that I just can't understand.
If every programme that doesn't win it's slot is a flop, which it seems to be according to the likes of Media Guardian then surely every channel may as well close down and be replaced by one single channel.

Surely even in the 70s, BBC1 lost out to half of the time to ITV and vica versa yet shows wern't announced as a flop straightaway.

I think Nigel Packard should be sacked, what kind of junk is he commisioning, and Celeb Love Island is the climax!

Yes it appears to be true, I read it on teletext.

Although its a bit soon to pull programmes after 1 or 2 episodes ITV cannot afford to have dead wood in the schedule these days due to some much competition from digital channels.

What makes me smile is that every time ITV pulls a failure from it's schedules - it comissions another thinking "it'll be different this time."

It'll Be Alright On The Night - how apt - they certainly can't put out of a night's worth of "alright" programming.

But with only one commercial broadcaster at the time, advertisers paid for their spots without question. That's why an ITV franchise really was a, "licence to print money".

Apologies if this sounds patronising, but there *is* a very simplistic formula at work here. The cash raised in advertising slots slides in accordance with how many viewers tune in. As much as I hate the practice it probably makes more business sense to pull a low rater and replace it than lose the peak revenues over the run of the series.

Many programmes simply don't capture their audiences on the first few installments, and it's a shame that some babies may get thrown out with the bath-water.

But that's showbusiness.

All this in ITV's 50th year. I think they should celebrate by sending out P45's to staff!

It also happened in ITV's 49th year as well.
In fact replace Celebrity Love Island with Simply the Best and you could just rerun all of last year's posts. I'm sure they'll be back on top with dramas every night of the week come September.

I really don't know what future this is leading to where ITV introduce a new series against a strong BBC1 soap, it doesn't beat it, which was not unexpected and then ends up getting pulled after 1 episode. There's something wrong here.

I'm not sure it's about the 8pm shows beating Holby, that wouldn't be expected. ITV seem to be bothered a lot more about audience inheritance these days.

And fact is, the 8pm shows didn't deliver into Bad Girls, which was relegated into 3rd place last night, and is usually one of their stronger shows.

That, I think is more alarming.

What I find particularly strange is the number of errors ITV perceives itself to be making, then answering this problem by shelving entire series (at considerable expense) rather than finding other positions in the schedule for them.

By doing this, they're creating a rod for their own back, because this will just encourage lazy hacks to pick out any flagging series, in the full knowledge that ITV will probably can that as well, thereby leading to even more bad press.

I think ITV will come to rue the day they gave away their trump card in this game, namely to test new concepts cheaply in regions before pushing them out nationwide. Now more than ever this would have been a very powerful tool.

I've said this before but the main problem with ITV is they are reliant on short-term ratings boosts such as stripping a series of I'm a Celebrity, or a cheap rip-off, every night for a couple of weeks, or screening one-off drama premieres.

What they need is more shows that can consistantly pull in the ratings on a week in, week out basis, alongside Corrie, Emmerdale and The Bill.

That means longer drama series, more comedy, especially in primetime - and some new entertainment formats.

People are sick of celebrity based reality shows - especially those where the only reason the contestants are "celebs" is too appear on such shows. Real people work better for ITV - shows like Bad Lads Army and Survivor have a far stronger format, and in the long term will be more successful.

I think the resurrection of Survivor could show that ITV can do reailty shows well - and I know many reality fans have a high regard for Survivor - as long as it's original format remains intact, and ITV don't try to turn it into a money spinning version of Big Brother.

It's more pitiful when you consider the iconic programmes Nigel used to work on, such as Worzel Gummidge. But perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on him. After all, he is only the lapdog dancing to Charles Allen's tune.



Quite the reverse, according to Teletext. CLI beat Big Borether in the ratings.

And tonight ITV performs its favourite party trick, dropping The Real Good Life and Fat Families without even a week's grace for anyone who tunes in. I doubt anyone here will miss either - but my thoughts go out to those who endured months of Nightscreen plugging The Real Good Life!

Seriously, it's this habit of impulse rescheduling which lets down viewers, programme makers and ultimately, ITV themselves. If only broadcasters were required to explain on air such changes: "Now on ITV1 a change to our published schedules. In place of The Real Good Life and Fat Families which were not performing well in the ratings, Denis Norden once again promises It'll Be Alright On The Night" .

Please tell me that's not true! I really have lost all hope for society!