I personally thought that Christmas TOTP was a great show and had such an impressive line up. I was pleased to see that it was the 15th highest rated show of the day in terms of audience, and 11th highest in terms of audience share (higher than Corrie!). Time to bring it back weekly!

 

1. Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death - BBC One, 8.30pm - 14.25 million, 53.3%

2. Doctor Who: 'The Next Doctor' - BBC One, 6pm - 11.71 million, 50.5%

3. EastEnders - BBC One, 9pm - 11.47 million, 44.9%

4. The Royle Family - BBC One, 9.30pm - 9.98 million, 41.7%

5. EastEnders - BBC One, 8pm - 9.89 million, 40.6%

6. Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special - BBC One, 7pm - 8.57 million, 35%

7. Coronation Street - ITV1, 7pm - 7.36 million, 30%

8. Wallace & Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit - BBC One, 4.30pm - 7.22 million, 39.8%

9. The Queen - BBC One, 3pm - 6.45 million, 42.6%

10. Blackadder Rides Again - BBC One, 10.30pm - 5.58 million, 30.9%

11. Dancing On Ice At Christmas - ITV1, 8pm - 5.2 million, 20.4%

12. Emmerdale - ITV1, 6pm - 4.76 million, 20.5%

13. Shark Tale - BBC One, 3.10pm - 4.69 million, 31.1%

14. It'll Be Alright On The Night - ITV1, 9.30pm - 3.8 million, 15.9%

15. Top Of The Pops Christmas Special - BBC One, 2pm - 3.74 million, 30.6%

16. Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban - ITV1, 3pm - 3.32 million, 20%

17. Dad's Army - BBC Two, 8pm - 2.7 million, 11.1%

18. The Two Ronnies - BBC One, 1.05pm - 2.52 million, 22.5%

19. The Santa Clause 2 - BBC One, 11.25am - 2.37 million, 22.2%

20. Stanley Baxter: Now & Then - ITV1, 10.30pm - 2.16 million, 11.8%

 

1 Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death BBC One, 8.30pm 14.25 million 0.533

2 Doctor Who: 'The Next Doctor' BBC One, 6pm 11.71 million 0.505

3 EastEnders BBC One, 9pm 11.47 million 0.449

4 The Queen BBC One, 3pm 6.45 million 0.426

5 The Royle Family BBC One, 9.30pm 9.98 million 0.417

6 EastEnders BBC One, 8pm 9.89 million 0.406

7 Wallace & Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit BBC One, 4.30pm 7.22 million 0.398

8 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special BBC One, 7pm 8.57 million 0.35

9 Shark Tale BBC One, 3.10pm 4.69 million 0.311

10 Blackadder Rides Again BBC One, 10.30pm 5.58 million 0.309

11 Top Of The Pops Christmas Special BBC One, 2pm 3.74 million 0.306

12 Coronation Street ITV1, 7pm 7.36 million 0.3

13 The Two Ronnies BBC One, 1.05pm 2.52 million 0.225

14 The Santa Clause 2 BBC One, 11.25am 2.37 million 0.222

15 Emmerdale ITV1, 6pm 4.76 million 0.205

16 Dancing On Ice At Christmas ITV1, 8pm 5.2 million 0.204

17 Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban ITV1, 3pm 3.32 million 0.2

18 It'll Be Alright On The Night ITV1, 9.30pm 3.8 million 0.159

19 Stanley Baxter: Now & Then ITV1, 10.30pm 2.16 million 0.118

20 Dad's Army BBC Two, 8pm 2.7 million 0.111

 

 

Figures from Digital Spy

I was hoping it would be alot higher and thought that due to the Queen's speech being on after it (Which attracted 3 million more viewers) that it might have done better

the question is though, if TOTP was to return, when and where in the schedules could it be accommodated? A one off will get fairly decent figures, a weekly show will not perform so well unless it is broadcast at a day and time it can maximise its audience. Thursday or Friday is now too late in the week, and a Sunday didn't work either...

Also 3 million viewers is the reason TOTP got dropped in the first place from the weekly schedule so I doubt that getting a similar amount of viewers for the Christmas special would inspire the BBC to bring it back although I would love it if they did.

Yeah, this isn't terribly impressive, unfortunately. Unelss the NYE ratings are WAY higher, I can't see it coming back permanently. What was on the other channels at the time by the way?

Also 3 million viewers is the reason TOTP got dropped in the first place from the weekly schedule so I doubt that getting a similar amount of viewers for the Christmas special would inspire the BBC to bring it back although I would love it if they did.

 

Times have changed - look at Eastenders which, in a normal week, doesn't get 10m viewers anymore (previous Xmas episodes have been more than double what yesterdays episode got). There are more channels so they expect lower ratings. To see TOTP in the top 15 is a big achievement in my opinion. There are loads of shows on the 5 main channels getting low ratings so ratings shouldn't be the only way to measure it's success. Share % is also a big factor and almost one third of the available audience at that time chose to watch TOTP. I appreciate the Xmas special will always do better than the weekly show but I think these figures (and the outcry over it originally being cancelled this year) show that there's still a place for it in the schedules. It'll be interesting to see where the New Year show ends up in the ratings.

 

As for where it would fit in the schedule, I actually think that teatime on BBC1 on a Saturday is possibly the best option. 7pm on a weekday is now filled and we don't want 7:30pm as it'll get lost against Corrie again. It should be seen as a showcase for current and upcoming hits and not judged on the difference it makes to that weeks charts (it lost it's influence on that years ago).

Wallace and Gromit is overrated!

There is not a chance of it returning permanently! THE END! ;)

Edited December 26, 200816 yr by lightyears

I doubt very much it will come back. I think we were lucky to get the xmas special atall actually and to be honest, viewings seem pretty low to me. I bet this year will be the last one.

Wallace and Gromit is overrated!

They had the highest viewing figures of any TV programme of the year though! At 14.25m it shows how figures for all programmes have fallen though...

 

TOTP did fine though, it's % share of all viewers at 30% is fine. That is what TV programmers tend to take more notice of these days - unless it's England doing well in the World Cup or a national tragic event we won't see 20m+ figures anymore.

 

They had the highest viewing figures of any TV programme of the year though! At 14.25m it shows how figures for all programmes have fallen though...

 

TOTP did fine though, it's % share of all viewers at 30% is fine. That is what TV programmers tend to take more notice of these days - unless it's England doing well in the World Cup or a national tragic event we won't see 20m+ figures anymore.

But still it's overrated!

the question is though, if TOTP was to return, when and where in the schedules could it be accommodated? A one off will get fairly decent figures, a weekly show will not perform so well unless it is broadcast at a day and time it can maximise its audience. Thursday or Friday is now too late in the week, and a Sunday didn't work either...

 

 

It might work on a Saturday early evening around 5ish. To be honest it does look so dated, what they need to do is a different chart show with a different format, not the same as TOTP.

Just a few random thoughts re: TOTP.

 

I don't think TOTP is dead, merely sleeping. Take a look at the second highest rated tv programme of the day (Dr Who). Cancelled in 1989 due to poor ratings (amongst other reasons) and brought back in 2005. I doubt many fans would've predicted that it would return to such a critical and ratings success.

 

TOTP can return with the correct format and presenters who really connect with the audience.

 

The music industry needs and wants TOTP. One of the only places to get music on primetime is X-Factor but you're not likely to hear Bloc Party's latest single on it. While people knocked TOTP for being naff it was a great leveller - songs appeared because of their position in the charts irrelevant of genre. People made fun of TOTP for years -it was uncool, played novelty tunes and certain acts wouldn't appear and yet most within the music industry would give their arm and leg to have a music show on primetime in 2008. As Bart Simpson said 'The ironing is delicious'.

 

The BBC should not be driven by ratings - it is funded by the licence fee and is not reliant on ratings and commercial revenue as other stations are.

 

Slightly off topic - I believe last year's Dr Who Christmas special scored a 13.2million rating which starred Kylie Minogue. Obviously Kylie was responsible for the extra viewers last year. Someone on Buzzjack will appreciate that ...

I'm a Dr. Who fan but one thing that put me off the last series of Dr. Who was the really irritating Catherine Tate.

 

Sorry but imo she just can't act. In fact she's the second worst assistant (after Bonnie Langford) that the show has ever had.

 

They should have stuck with the brilliant Freema Agyeman full time.

If not they should have either had Billie Piper back or should have got equally brilliant Carey Mulligan who played Sally Sparrow in the episode BLINK.

I though Catherine Tate was great in Dr Who!. She was the reason I started watching it again after the awfull Freema series.

Still, everyones entitled to their opinion. :)

As for TOTP.

That is a very good rating for the xmas day time slot, I hope they bring it back, tv needs a national chart show.

 

 

Walace and Gromit top of the list! :D haha it was great!

Does anyone have ratings for TOTP Xmas past? say the last 5 or 10 years? Don't think they were high enough to be in the charts on the BARB website before anyone suggests it.

3 million is not good!

From Music Week...

 

TOTP ratings an unexpected Christmas cracker

Monday January 5, 2009

 

Veteran show's return wins music TV ratings battle.

 

Anyone got access to the full story???

Edited January 6, 200916 yr by RPM

TOTP ratings an unexpected Christmas cracker

Source: MW

Monday January 5, 2009

 

Veteran show's return wins music TV ratings battle.

 

Ricky Wilson, Jarvis Cocker, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and all the other voices calling for the return of Top Of The Pops have been given ammunition for their campaign after viewing figures showed the BBC1 Christmas and New Year’s Eve specials pulled in almost 8m viewers between them.

 

Although that fell well short of the 14.3m viewers who tuned in to BBC1’s Wallace & Gromit – A Matter Of Loaf & Death – the most-watched show over the Christmas period – the 3.7m who tuned in to BBC1 at 2pm on Christmas Day was nearer the viewing figures achieved by the show at the turn of the century.

 

And it was also a lot more than the average 2.8m viewers achieved in 2003 when the show began to play more up-and-coming tracks in a move that it hoped would revitalise the programme. The Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates-helmed hour-long Christmas special, which saw performances from Take That, Duffy, Girls Aloud and Alexandra Burke, attracted 30.6% share of TV viewers at that time.

 

The New Year’s Eve special, also presented by Cotton and Yates, was broadcast at 5.35pm and reviewed the year in music with highlights such as Coldplay at the BBC and Madonna at Radio One’s Big Weekend and Kings of Leon at Glastonbury. It attracted 4.1m and a 20.8% share of viewers.

 

TOTP2, which had eight shows between December 22-30, also proved popular. The BBC2 show on December 23 at 7.30pm pulled in 2.4m viewers – equal to 10.8% of the viewing population. And the Christmas Eve edition at 11.15pm had a 1.3m audience.

 

Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, which featured performances from Martha and the Vandellas, Dave Edmunds, Sam Sparro, Duffy and Lily Allen, was screened at 10.55pm on New Year’s Eve on BBC2 and attracted 2.7m viewers, represtenting a 19.7% audience share.

 

With viewing figures below the 3m mark, Top Of The Pops was switched to BBC2 in July 2005, but the audience struggled to get above the 1.5m mark on that channel. The show was finally axed in July 2006 to the dismay of the industry and many artists, who saw another valuable promotional tool gone.

 

However, figures such as Burnham, who famously called for the return of Top Of The Pops at October’s In The City, might be disappointed to hear that the BBC has no immediate plans to reinstate the weekly show in view of the latest figures. A spokesman says, “As far as I am aware there are no plans to bring back Top of the Pops.”

 

Disappointingly, no decisions have yet been made on whether to repeat the success of the Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve specials either.

 

Over on 4 Music, the schedules were packed with festive specials with Girls Aloud practically dominating Christmas night with their Live From The O2 show, while Take That were the big stars of Saturday night TV with their From The Beginning documentary followed by a live show, again from The O2.

 

Both helped the channel, which only launched last August, to beat its main rivals TMF and MTV over the period December 22-28 when 4 Music took 0.4% of the TV viewing share, compared to 0.33% for TMF and 0.09% for MTV One.

 

On Christmas Day, Noddy Holder’s Big Christmas 50, screened from 8am-12.30pm, ensured 4 Music received a larger share of viewing than TMF and MTV One added together with 1.19% of 16- to 34-year-olds tuning in to the channel, compared to only 0.34% and 0.26% – in the same age bracket – for TMF and MTV respectively.

 

A Channel 4 spokeswoman says, “We performed very well by comparison to our two main rivals.”