I.e. The X Factor starts tonight. Still, quite a few intriguing things happening today:
- Fighting Talk – New series starts on 5 Live with rotating hosts ex-host Christian O Connell, Jonathan Pearce and (obviously) Matt Johnson. I reckon Pearce might be quite a good fit. It’s always a bit weird when they get a substitute host in, at best they sound a bit like a supply teacher (Nick Hancock, who at least did this sort of thing as stock in trade in the 90s), at worst they’re absolutely terrible. None of them sound very convincing with the in jokes. I hope the new hosts will get to write their own intros, initially anyway. (11am, Five Live)
- That Puppet Game Show has been moved (let’s be honest, demoted) to 5:15pm on BBC1.
- Stepping Out is a new dancing competition featuring real life celebs and their real life partners dancing and hopefully having a tiff on live television presided over by Davina McCall. Celebrities are Brian McFadden, Denise Welch, Oritsé Williams, Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, Carl Froch and Dempsey and Makepeace. (ITV 6:30)
- The X Factor – The fifth judge turned out to be you! I don’t think anyone saw that coming. (ITV, 8pm)
- Through the Keyhole – If I don’t see you through the week I’ll see you through the keyhole. Keith Lemon hosts a comedy take on a panel show classic. For some reason Dave Berry is a regular panellist – I’m sure DB is a lovely guy but ITV’s recent obsession with finding a format for him is a bit baffling. Actually you could probably say the same for Keith Lemon. (ITV 9:20pm)
Not forgetting that Pointless Celebs, I Love My Country, Break the Safe and the last episode of the series of Fort Boyard France tonight, tomorrows ratings should prove fairly interesting.
Jonathan Pearce will of course be expected to judge on damage, control, style and aggression.
I quite enjoyed Through the Keyhole, although my manic tolerance with it only stretches to 40-45 minutes, as a very loose production it was generous in letting the panellists and guests get laughs, and the Before They Were Famous moments were quite funny.
It’s not your mother’s TtK for sure, and it relied less on household hints and more on cryptic visual clues I think, and I think it should either have stopped at two houses or otherwise knock 15 minutes off the running time but I thought it was fun enough.
Of course if you hate Keith Lemon it will do nothing for you.
TtK got over five mill last night! Quite pleased for it.
The sad news this morning that Sir David Frost has passed away.
Quite spooky timing really!
Maybe he saw the show?
(Too soon?)
It is a funny joke, but I ummed and ahhed about making it.
Shocking that the Puppets are down to a million. They mightaswell just put Bargain Hunt on.
3.20m for Pointless apparently. Only Casualty rated higher with 3.8m.
I am rather shocked at Through The Keyhole’s rating. Was expecting 3.5m at the most. Be interesting to see if it holds.
Schlag den Raab is back next week. It clashes with Alle auf den Kleinen on RTL (with Oliver Pocher, he of Gameshow Marathon). Should be a fairly interesting clash.
Talking of Raab, he was one of the moderators on tonight’s political debate ‘Das TV-Duell’. The 90-minute debate between Merkel and her opponent ahead of the German elections in 3 weeks time; and was aired on ARD, ZDF, RTL and Prosieben simultaneously. Pretty weird for an entertainment presenter to be hosting something like this, but apparently he was quite popular with viewers.
How did Absolut Mehrreit do? Maybe that’s the connection.
Absolute Mehrheit absolutely bombed. But it certainly got him the place on the moderators table. It really didn’t do well over it’s run, but it got a lift in the ratings last night. It seems that Raab may have lifted the number of younger viewers watching, with some saying he was the real winner on the night!
Over the 4 channels, there was a combined audience of 17.56m and a 50.5% share. In the young audience group, it got 6.35m and a 45.4% share. Down on 2005, but up around 3.5m on 2009