Your Torchwood ratings-ometer
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Ian Jones
Just how will daily doses of adult telefantasy fare on BBC1 next week?
It’s undoubtedly a courageous move of the Beeb to schedule such a niche programme in primetime five nights on the trot.
But there’s been a lot of publicity (in Radio Times at least) and the fact there’s nothing much new on the other channels might work in its favour.
Here’s an episode-by-episode prediction:
Monday
No big-hitters to compete with the debut episode, and this plus the novelty factor plus a few people’s hope of seeing an appearance by Dr Who means Torchwood will probably win the slot. It’ll be close, though, seeing as how Coronation Street prefaces ITV’s 9pm offering, while BBC1 has Panorama.
Most watched, in order:
Torchwood (BBC1)
Real Crime (ITV)
The Supersizers Eat…The French Revolution (BBC2)
The Hotel Inspector (C5)
Inside Nature’s Giants (C4)
with Torchwood getting 5.4m
Tuesday
There’ll be some inevitable seepage here, a phrase that seems somehow apt for Torchwood, as interest wanes and the twin guns of Big Brother and Ladette to Lady swing into action.
Most watched:
Ladette to Lady (ITV)
Torchwood (BBC1)
Big Brother (C4)
CSI: Miami (C5)
Girl with a Pearl Earring (BBC2)
with Torchwood getting 4.9m
Wednesday
Second prize again tonight, although if Big Brother wasn’t in decline it would have been third place. More people will give up on the show when they realise they’re only halfway through and Dr Who still hasn’t turned up. A rubbish sitcom about war journalism could push BBC2 into last place for the second night running.
Most watched:
Trial and Retribution (ITV)
Torchwood (BBC1)
Big Brother (C4)
Panic Room (C5)
Taking the Flak (BBC2)
with Torchwood getting 4.1m
Thursday
Third place, thanks to Trial and Retribution and a new series of Mock the Week. It might even be fourth, if Gerry Robinson trying to save a pie-and-pasty firm proves more appealing than John Barrowman trying to save the time-space continuum.
Most watched:
Trial and Retribution (ITV)
Mock the Week (BBC2)
Torchwood (BBC1)
Gerry’s Big Decision (C4)
The Mentalist (C5)
with Torchwood getting 3.6m
Friday
Will there be a sudden surge of interest as the end nears and, according to Radio Times, “Gwen stands alone when the final sanction begins”? It feels unlikely, and any boost in viewers won’t be enough to push it back up the chart. Instead it could well sink down to fourth, given the competition.
Most watched:
Doc Martin (ITV)
RHS Hampton Court Flower Show (BBC2)
Big Brother (C4)
Torchwood (BBC1)
NCIS (C5)
with Torchwood getting 3.8m
I honestly think Torchwood will win every night. The Trial and Retribution repeat only got 2.4m last Thursday, and Ladette To Lady’s been getting under 3m as well.
I think launching the new series of The Hotel Inspector on Monday night is a smart move, though; that should hoover up a few rift refuseniks.
I agree Chris. Trial and Retribution will be nowhere while Big Brother has been hovering around the 2million mark. Those tables are way off.
Anyone remember ‘V’?
That was a sci-fi mini series that was broadcast mid-summer in a prime time slot and a major channel.
Did well, I recall…
Will the Supersizers be going to France or back to the 1950s next week?
I agree with Chris, ITV’s line-up is rubbish. There’s no way it’ll be beaten by Big Brother on Friday, either, that’s been getting under two million viewers – for an eviction show!
I thought it was disingenuous of John Barrowman complaining they’ve only got five shows and not thirteen – the five shows are every night at 9pm, a massive commitment from the Beeb. That would be like David Tennant complaining the next series of Doctor Who is only four shows, ignoring the fact they’re on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
How can a drama one bbc one with 3.8million viewers get beaten by ITV, Channel Four and BBC Two? Each channel bearly manages 3.5million on a good night. This prediction is so wrong.
I still think that once some of those ITV and C4 shows are pitted against something like Torchwood, they’ll do better than of late. Torchwood just doesn’t have the smell of a weeknight BBC1 hit.
So, according to a post on Outpo… erm, Gallifrey Base, here’s how last night’s episode clocked in:
1 …. 8.8 (43.0%) …. Coronation Street (19:30) ITV
2 …. 8.5 (39.2%) …. EastEnders (20:00) BBC1
3 …. 8.5 (38.4%) …. Coronation Street (20:30) ITV
4 …. 6.5 (34.0%) …. Emmerdale (19:00) ITV
5 …. 5.9 (25.8%) …. Torchwood: Children of Earth (21:00) BBC1
6 …. 5.4 (29.9%) …. Regional News and Weather (18:30) BBC1
7 …. 5.0 (24.5%) …. BBC News at Ten (22:00) BBC1
8 …. 4.5 (23.8%) …. Regional News and Weather (22:15) BBC1
9 …. 4.4 (25.9%) …. BBC News at Six (18:00) BBC1
10 … 4.1 (18.0%) …. Hannah’s Killer – Nowhere to Hide: Real Crime (21:00) ITV
So, Ian was kind of close on the rating, but not on the order of shows.
I’d say got the order of shows *almost* right…
According to The Guardian, it was:
Torchwood (5.9m)
Real Crime (4.1m)
Inside Nature’s Giants (1.7m)
The Hotel Inspector (1.6m)
The Supersizers Eat…The French Revolution (1.5m)
I got 1, 2 and 4 correct, but Inside Nature and Supersizers the wrong way round.
5.6m for Torchwood Day Two with the episode being top rated programme of the day. The ratings predictions on this page are starting to look wide of the mark.
Day Two’s figures, then…
Torchwood: Children of Earth: 5.6m (24.0%)
Ladette to Lady: 2.9m (12.4%)
CSI: Miami: 2.5m (10.8%)
Girl with a Pearl Earring: 1.9m (8.4%)
Big Brother: 1.8m (7.7%)
I should add it was the most-watched show of the day, thanks in part to the Michael Jackson tribute on BBC2 pulling down EastEnders (4.7m) and Emmerdale (also 4.7m).
Hmm, well apart from Torchwood’s ratings slipping by almost the same amount as I predicted, I got everything wrong. Still, nice to see Big Brother performing so badly.
Torchwood back up to 5.9 and third for the night. Trial and Retribution managed to scrape 11th place.
No chance of the ratings even dropping below 5 million now, let alone getting down to under 4.
I’ve always thought the Internet reception to the series didn’t have much relation to its reception out in the “real” world.
I’m surprised and pleased at Torchwood’s consistent ratings, I also predicted a bit of a slide by Weds.
“Hmm, well apart from Torchwood’s ratings slipping by almost the same amount as I predicted, I got everything wrong. Still, nice to see Big Brother performing so badly.”
???? You couldn’t have got it more wrong. Torchwood is a success despite the fact that you said it would fail badly in the ratings.
Jamie, look again at what I said. “I got everything wrong.” Yes, yes I did. I’m not denying that. No need for all the hysterics. I’m happy to admit my “prediction” – not a “fact” – has so far turned out to be incorrect.
Time to eat humble pie, Ian. Bit of an error to start wielding the knife before it was broadcast….
To be fair who colud have guessed that the best piece of television of 2009 would be Torchwood!
6.2 million for “Day Four”
Quite possible they’ll hit 6.5 tonight.
so not 3.6m then? …
6.2m and second place for Torchwood. Let’s see how the programmes that were going to push it into fourth place did:
Trial and Retribution 2.8m (14th place)
Mock the Week 2.6 (16th place)
I apologise for the error in my last post. I did, of course, mean push it into third place.
As for tonight, oh no, it’s that mighty ratings collossus Big Brother! Torchwood is doomed! ;)
5.8m for Day Five.
Torchwood 5-0 Off The Telly…;)