Red Dwarf, this weekend

[Pingfah]

Even with the 50% drop it was a massive winner for Dave. I mean it outperformed Sky One's massive super budget all star Easter fantasy special, which was considered a ratings success for them and won the hour for multichannel broadcasts on Friday and Sunday.

Hell, it wasn't far off matching Fives offering for 9pm Sunday. I don't see how it can be considered anything but an absolute ratings triumph.

 

[Jim Steele]

I wonder why, after getting similar ratings on BBC 2, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is considered a dismal failure. If he was getting those numbers on BBC 3, it'd be a roaring success. Surely these days most people have freeview at least, who the hell only has the five terrestrial channels now? Pensioners?

Bah I say. Baaaah.

 

[FlyingLemons]

Here's the resolution to the VIII cliffhanger on Youtube. Seeing as it's perfectly good I don't see why they didn't use it in the first place...

 

[Pingfah]

I wonder why, after getting similar ratings on BBC 2, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is considered a dismal failure. If he was getting those numbers on BBC 3, it'd be a roaring success. Surely these days most people have freeview at least, who the hell only has the five terrestrial channels now? Pensioners?

Bah I say. Baaaah.

The branding and public awareness of the top 4 channels is so much better and broader than any Freeview channels though and will remain so until the other channel's budgets start to catch up to them. Plus they spend a SHIT load more money on their programming and on promoting it, so they would expect significantly higher ratings.

It's all very well saying that lots of people have access to Dave, but it's buried way down the list in the middle of a load of shite that nobody wants to watch and only advertises itself on other unwatched channels and in mens mags.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I wonder why, after getting similar ratings on BBC 2, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is considered a dismal failure. If he was getting those numbers on BBC 3, it'd be a roaring success. Surely these days most people have freeview at least, who the hell only has the five terrestrial channels now? Pensioners?

Bah I say. Baaaah.

The branding and public awareness of the top 4 channels is so much better and broader than any Freeview channels though and will remain so until the other channel's budgets start to catch up to them. Plus they spend a SHIT load more money on their programming and on promoting it, so they would expect significantly higher ratings.

It's all very well saying that lots of people have access to Dave, but it's buried way down the list in the middle of a load of shite that nobody wants to watch and only advertises itself on other unwatched channels and in mens mags.

That and top ratings on BBC 2 are usually around 4m, Dave's top ratings are usually around 400,000. So 1 mill doesn't even get on the top 30 of BBC 2, where as 1 mill is Dave's top show by miles.

 

[Pingfah]

Yeah, and it seems to me that Dave probably expected to turn a profit off lower figures than that. I mean lets face it, the entire RD audience is probably inside their dream demo.

Obviously i'm no expert, but Dave must be thinking about how to take this further.

 

[Jim Steele]

Plus they spend a SHIT load more money on their programming and on promoting it, so they would expect significantly higher ratings.

Stewart Lee has had less promotion than Doctor Who repeats. Considering he's a niche comic whose had little to no backing from the beeb, I think he's doing pretty well.

All this proves is that I don't understand the economics of television.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Plus they spend a SHIT load more money on their programming and on promoting it, so they would expect significantly higher ratings.

Stewart Lee has had less promotion than Doctor Who repeats. Considering he's a niche comic whose had little to no backing from the beeb, I think he's doing pretty well.

All this proves is that I don't understand the economics of television.

I've seen a few ads for Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. Not many but some where and there.
But to be honest, the show has been fairly rubbish. I think I laughed 1 or maybe 2 times in episode 2, a couple of times in episode 3. I expected better from him.

 

[Jim Steele]

Really? I think the stand up portions have been brilliant. The sketches have been pretty shit though, but they're only a small fraction of the show.

Stewart Lee material co-produced by Chris Morris... how can it go wrong?

 

[TedShatner10]

A real curate's egg, I found the middle episode the most consistantly witty (with the reference to X-Factor, Rimmer washing his hands, and the demented comic book guy), but most the rest of it was rather ho-hum, stilted, and unjustifiably self-satisfied, like Rimmer (especially with the conversation on the bus). Why did the Skutter have to be CGI, even though I admit the CGI is a notable improvement over the CGI available ten years ago, but I miss the amateurish yet endearing model effects. Overall I'd give it 2.5/5, a barely passable retread of "Back to Reality" (with the Elation Squid), and it was a mistake to show it in multiple parts.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Really? I think the stand up portions have been brilliant. The sketches have been pretty shit though, but they're only a small fraction of the show.

Stewart Lee material co-produced by Chris Morris... how can it go wrong?

I don't know, a lot of it doesn't seem original or inventive, and he seems to go overgoard on the indignant front a lot of the time.
I know that's his shtick but he seems to be relying on it too much.

 

[Jim Steele]

I have to admit, as much as I hated part 2, the Blade Runner photo enhancement gag was pretty damn funny. Curate's egg indeed.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

It was tired. All three episodes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and I loved the Bladerunner references. But the guys from the Dwarf looked old and worn out, tired and listless, and the pacing was off. It just lacked energy.

That said, I thought it was much better than the Doctor Who Special on Saturday!

 

[Jim Steele]

Doctor Who made me cry from the arse. Just made me want Doc 10's death (and Moffat's era) to come quicker.

 

[Holly]

As I said earlier in the thread (Cky), I did like the third part of this. After re-watching the three episodes yesterday, and I must say, I think Craig Charles actually can act. When he was speaking to Kochanski near the end of the episode I actually found it powerful.

 

[Pingfah]

Plus they spend a SHIT load more money on their programming and on promoting it, so they would expect significantly higher ratings.

Stewart Lee has had less promotion than Doctor Who repeats. Considering he's a niche comic whose had little to no backing from the beeb, I think he's doing pretty well.

All this proves is that I don't understand the economics of television.

I've seen a few ads for Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. Not many but some where and there.
But to be honest, the show has been fairly rubbish. I think I laughed 1 or maybe 2 times in episode 2, a couple of times in episode 3. I expected better from him.

I bet it is still a pretty expensive show though. Simply by virtue of being an almost primetime BBC2 show it will have to attain a very high standard production wise. I'd bet the BBC put some of their best behind the scenes talent (editors, designers, producers, directors) on shows like that, and try out the younger, cheaper talent on their freeview shows.

10 years ago there wasn't the freeview alternative to palm low budget shows off onto, I doubt the BBC would broadcast anything with such obviously apparent low production values as new material on their flagship channels these days.

 

[Jim Steele]

Craig Charles' acting has to be commended. One of his best performances actually.

Fuck sake, I keep finding things to like about this. Damn my flippyfloppedneneseseness.

 

[Holly]

Haha, well I think there was two scenes in Back To Earth that I really felt like sobbing like a girl whose just seen her dog accidently backed over in the driveway.

Of course, the dog doesn't have much love from the little girl, which is why she doesn't cry.

Brilliant.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

People slag the kids but I thought the gag with the boy astonished that the girl knew how movies about Titanic and Jesus would end was pretty funny.

 

[Silent_Bob]

Craig Charles' acting has to be commended. One of his best performances actually.

Fuck sake, I keep finding things to like about this. Damn my flippyfloppedneneseseness.

Thats probably the only thing in which Back to Earth outdid the older stuff. Craig Charles was magnificent, its just a shame his personal problems are preventing his career from going further.