ITV And BBC1 Go Head To Head With Evening News
ITV and BBC1 will go head to head with their evening news bulletins for the first time tonight, as ITV, under orders from the ITC (see News At Ten To Return To ITV) returns its nightly news to its original 10pm slot, where it will find its old home more crowded than before, after the BBC moved its own news from 9 to 10.
The BBC’s surprise decision to make the move (see BBC To Broadcast News At Ten) sparked a ratings war during autumn which saw the BBC use up some of the offerings reserved for Christmas and both sides engaging in a chess game of “junction management”. Irritated viewers found programmes began minutes later or earlier than their advertised time, or were even advertised with timings such as 8.55pm, all in an effort to keep wandering fingers away from the remote control. The battle reached its height when Millionaire went up against the final One Foot In The Grave (see Millionaire Beats Meldrew In Prime Time Hit And Run). Both sides lost dignity- ITV for allowing a ‘leak’, accidental or otherwise, to reveal in the newspapers that the first person to win a million would appear on the show that evening, and the BBC for petty accusations of question fixing.
In tonight’s face-off, ITV is, unsurprisingly, pulling out its most populist offerings, while BBC is going for intellectually higher ground. ITV’s Coronation Street will easily beat Watchdog Healthcheck at 7:30pm, and will attempt to keep Street fans hooked with a Wish You Were Here? soap special (8pm) featuring one of the stars of the show. It remains to be seen whether more dedicated soap fans will be convinced not to turn over to EastEnders.
At 8:30pm the different approaches becomes more marked, with Anne Robinson’s bitchy general knowledge quiz The Weakest Link offering more put-downs than fall-downs compared to New You’ve Been Framed on ITV. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire may tempt Anne fans away from the final 10 minutes of Weakest Link when it begins at 9pm, but those who hang on until the end will then be offered the first of a series of two part crime dramas. Second Sight sees the return of Clive Owen in the leading role and also features Art Malik.
The BBC’s News at Ten O’Clock will last for 35 minutes, after which those still hungry for knowledge could watch Everyman. ITV’s News at Ten will return with a 20 minute programme, followed by comedy drama The Grimley’s. Since the last series, Grimley’s star Amanda Holden has done well in attracting tabloid attention which could boost the show’s appeal and keep viewers on the commercial channel until 10:50pm and Baddiel And Skinner Unplanned.
ITV has stated its awareness that the new BBC1 controller, Lorraine Heggessy, is only likely to continue the policy of a more commercial channel. ITV, in turn has vowed to hammer the BBC in the ratings game this year. Viewing figures for tonight will doubtless be examined closely and the ‘result’ argued over, in all probability not for the last time.
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk ITV: 020 7843 8222 www.itv.co.uk
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