BBC One moves Davina McCall flop to avoid X Factor clash

by Sam Matthews, Brand Republic 31-Aug-05, 11:00

LONDON - The BBC is moving its Davina McCall-presented series 'He's Having a Baby', which tracks eight men as they become fathers, to an earlier Saturday night slot so it does not clash with ITV ratings winner 'X Factor'.

The 10-part series, which was going head-to-head with 'X Factor', will be moved to an earlier 5.30pm slot from next weekend after pulling in only 1.8m viewers last Saturday compared with 'X Factor''s 7.2m.

The show's debut on August 19 did not fare well either. The corporation managed 2.4m over the coveted 6.45pm one-hour slot while ITV's 'X Factor' opener attracted 6.6m viewers from 7pm to 8pm.

Confirming the news today, a BBC spokesman ruled out plans to axe the series.

"The show is different and imaginative, so we have decided to move it so it doesn't come up against 'X Factor'. We believe many 'X Factor' viewers would want to watch our show as well," he said.

It will be replaced in the time slot from September 10 with 'What Kids Really Think', an Ian Wright-fronted show that delves into the minds of five- to 11-year-old children.

The 'X Factor' ratings win will serve as a much-needed boost for ITV after failing to come up with a successful Saturday night format so far this year.

The Vernon Kay-fronted 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' flopped with fewer than 3m viewers, and 'Celebrity Wrestling' was pulled from its primetime slot halfway through its eight-week run after attracting only 2m viewers.

ITV's success will hit the BBC hard after enjoying recent Saturday night ratings winners, with shows such as 'Doctor Who' starring Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston receiving a regular audience of up to 8m viewers.

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