Philip Reevell
RatingsCHARTS: Doctor is back with a bang
Peter Capaldi’s debut draws in the viewers to BBC1, but can’t rise to the challenge of beating Bake Off
FeaturesSalford special: Digital Fiction Factory
The fragmented digital sector in the north of England is being brought closer together through initiatives like the Digital Fiction Factory
RatingsA sting in BBC3’s tale
Brian Cox studying the world’s smallest wasps under a microscope comes to mind when I squint at the table of digital channels’ output.
RatingsTop tips for recording hits
I don’t write this column very often, so I hope you’ll indulge me in a list of five reasons why some programmes might increase their consolidated audience significantly more than others.
RatingsC4 obsessives clean up
On Thursday at 8pm, I came across Britain’s Secret Shoppers, a new Channel 4 programme that had an audience of 1.7 million/8% share.
NewsNorth and South divided
Corrie and Emmerdale rule the roost for ITV – but where are the BBC’s northern shows?
RatingsCashing in on 2 Broke Girls
I’d like to think that one of the characters in The Big Bang Theory would be able to work out the correct number of times to show a promo for a new series.
RatingsNostalgia fest lifts BBC2
The thing about The 70s (BBC2, Monday, 9pm), which started with 2.6 million/10% share, is that presenter Dominic Sandbrook wasn’t there for some of it, having been born in 1974.
RatingsStrong northern character
Corrie is reinventing itself and Scott & Bailey and The Syndicate show the North has still got it.
RatingsGenius choice for Sky’s Idiot
An Idiot Abroad had 1.1 million/4% share on Sky 1 on Friday at 9pm – and a title that made a funny tabloid headline for Wayne Rooney’s sending off in England’s recent game.
RatingsUtd drubbing boosts MOTD2
Big numbers for Match of the Day 2: 4 million/22% share on Sunday night at 10pm, compared with last week’s 2.3 million/12% share.
RatingsIs ITV turning into BBC?
Lumley and Ross shows may be more suited to rival channel but X Factor demise looks overdone.
FeaturesReevell's Ratings: Entertainment
Further proof this week, if it were needed, that TV is being pushed along by entertainment in all its guises.
CommentReevell's ratings: Five docs
Entertainment has the X Factor but for documentaries, it seems, it's the One Factor which keeps commissioners awake at night.
NewsDigital Focus: Timeshifting
Channel 4's Matt Baker raises the issue of reporting the E4+1 audience figures in addition to the first-run figures which appear in our multichannel programmes table.
NewsDigital focus: Dead Set
The initial numbers for E4's Big Brother zombie apocalypse Dead Set were good, but the drama, stripped across the week at 10pm, proved unable to sustain its early promise.
FeaturesReevell's Ratings: Top Gear, Strictly and Antiques
How irritating to hear Jeremy Clarkson complaining about the returning Top Gear being scheduled opposite one of BBC1's highest-rated programmes, Strictly Come Dancing, as if Top Gear should be given a clear run.
FeaturesDigital Focus: Hollyoaks
There's nothing like an explosive storyline to boost a soap's ratings.