This Friday is Comic Relief night, and I shan’t go on my usual rant about all the plugs that amount to free primetime advertising for Sainsburys, Rymans, Subway, TK Maxx and other participating retailers will receive on BBC1 that evening. Oh…
Anyway, what I have noticed is that traditionally the other channels tended to sit back a little and not try too hard for ratings. Primarily, that means not running major dramas or particularly comedy up against the charity programming.
But we live in financially difficult times, and ITV seems to be doing the complete opposite this year.
Last time around, in 2007, there was the regular episode of Emmerdale followed by a single Coronation Street, before a repeat of A Touch of Frost provided safe alternative programming against the all star fun and appeals over on BBC1.
In 2005, ITV ran a Bond film – Tomorrow Never Dies. It was a repeat, and the evening was rounded out with All New TV’s Naughtiest Blunders which was never going to trouble the ratings people.
This year, however, things are different. ITV1 is running its regularly scheduled Friday evening with a major plotline involving a wedding on Coronation Street(don’t ask me details – I’ve never watched the show). They’re actively plugging Friday the 13th on-air, and you can hear it advertised on commercial radio too. And both the 7.30pm and 8.30pm episodes are present and correct. ITV wants a big audience.
Then at 9.00pm the new series of Moving Wallpaper continues featuring the excellent Ben Miller. Miller, of course, can be seen on BBC1 as well taking part in various skits. According to the Radio Times, his segment with comic partner Alexander Armstrong and Mitchell & Webb, isn’t due to air until 11.30pm, but nonetheless, he’s multi-tasking as far as the viewer’s concerned that evening.
Then at 9.30pm ITV’s sketch show, Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder is also on in its regularly scheduled slot. As I say – there’s been no let up in ITV’s drive to win ratings.
Of course C4 used to sit aside as well. But its Friday night line-up is not the comedy powerhouse it once was. So this week, the only real comedy they’re running is Free Agents at 10.00pm which is neatly up against the news on BBC1 (Although “Comic Relief Does Top of the Pops is on BBC2. Oh, how I hate the grammatically dreadful “Does” that they use).
In 2007 the BBC averaged 9.73m viewers between 7pm and 10pm on Comic Relief night. Will ITV diminish that this time around, and will that mean a reduced amount of cash raised as a result?