Oh Dear ITV

It's still all very tabloid isn't it? And there's next to nothing covered outside the UK. Considering it's ITV's most prominent current affairs programme, it's a shame it's become more of a dumbed down consumer show.

RTS Award winning over consecutive years isn't it ? Isn't there a BBC equivalent with Fiona Bruce which doesn't do as well ?

We've just had "Building the Dream", "Trouble in Paradise" & previously "Design Wars", which correct me if I'm wrong were all ratings flops. Why are ITV persisting on this bizarre genre of property development with a reality TV twist ? It's so futile.

Didn't know where else to put this really, so thought I'd resurrect this thread.

I notice trails are running at the moment for ITV's "The Block", which looks like a number of couples compete to renovate some houses / flats, with the unique twist this time, they're in a block.

We've just had "Building the Dream", "Trouble in Paradise" & previously "Design Wars", which correct me if I'm wrong were all ratings flops. Why are ITV persisting on this bizarre genre of property development with a reality TV twist ? It's so futile.

Is this going to be another show that starts out in primetime before being relegated to daytime obscurity ?

It's still all very tabloid isn't it? And there's next to nothing covered outside the UK. Considering it's ITV's most prominent current affairs programme, it's a shame it's become more of a dumbed down consumer show.

Looks as if the axeman has once again cometh for another new ITV drama. Noticed a trailer going out on ITV1, advertising a late schedule change tomorrow night at 9pm when we are to be treat to "It Shouldn't Happen to a Soap Star", which I can only presume means that "Making Waves" has been pulled early.

Making Waves sinks from ITV peak time

ITV1 naval drama Making Waves has been dropped from its 9pm peak time slot halfway through its six-week run after the show's audience slumped by nearly 2 million viewers.

The audience for Making Waves, which starred Alex Ferns as the commander of a fictional Royal Navy ship, dropped from 5.5 million to just 3.7 million between the first and third episodes, prompting the decision to dump the show from ITV1's peak time line-up.

But Royal Navy top brass are reportedly fuming about the decision after loaning ITV one of its warships, HMS Grafton, for months of filming.

According to today's Sun, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West is "hopping mad" about the axing of Making Waves.

However, an ITV spokeswoman said the decision should not be taken as a snub to the navy.

ITV1 will replace Making Waves with entertainment specials at 9pm on Wednesdays for the remaining three weeks of its run, starting tonight with It Shouldn't Happen on a TV Soap.

The remaining episodes of Making Waves will be broadcast at a later date, probably in an 11pm slot.

Making Waves had the misfortune of coming up against Channel 4 reality hit Supernanny, which attracted audiences of up to 5.7 million in the 9pm-10pm Wednesday slot.

Supernanny has now come to the end of its run and Making Waves would tonight have faced a Cutting Edge documentary, Sleeping with the Au Pair, and Big Brother next Wednesday.

However, the ITV director of programmes, Nigel Pickard, obviously decided the show was not going to recover after its early mauling by Supernanny.

The ITV drama controller, Nick Elliott, is believed not to have been a big fan of Making Waves and although it was delivered last September, the fact that it was not put into the schedule until July suggests the broadcaster did not have a great deal of faith in the drama.

Making Waves is the first low rating drama Mr Pickard has pulled from his peak time schedule this year - a better performance than in 2003, when Fortysomething, Family, Single and Sweet Medicine were all axed.

ITV1's last big peak time flop was reality show Trouble in Paradise, which was dumped in May, after just two out of seven episodes of the series had been broadcast

Where will The Vault be going then? The 5pm Slot?!