Quote: bigfella @ March 30 2009, 8:49 PM BST

I belive they all watch documentries about fat blokes having operations.

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More truth than jest in that, bigfella.

Interestingly, Moving Wallpaper has just fallen to 1 million viewers on the latest figures (but it was up against the Beeb's Comic Relief night). However before then, it only achieved average viewing figures of around 2 million per episode. That's about one third less than the average achieved by NGO. Although Moving Wallpaper is aired by another broadcaster, I bet IT gets recommissioned for a third series!

Commiserations all round - Andrew, other writers, and especially viewers. But do I take it from reading between the lines of the Andrew/Aaron exchanges that there might yet be a 4th series, and that it might be on BBC Two or BBC Three? Or even *closes eyes* ITV1? It's only been axed because of the BBC One controller, right?

I'm really disappointed by this. Bollocks.

That is all for now.

So the BBC may have dumped it. What's to stop another channel picking it up like they did with Men Behaving Badly?

Quote: Danny K @ March 30 2009, 9:21 PM BST

Although Moving Wallpaper is aired by another broadcaster, I bet IT gets recommissioned for a third series!

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If those figures are correct, then I doubt it!

Quote: David Chapman @ March 30 2009, 9:31 PM BST

What's to stop another channel picking it up like they did with Men Behaving Badly?

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Maybe they will, but it seems very unlikely; it's certainly not a regular occurance.

Quote: David Chapman @ March 30 2009, 9:31 PM BST

So the BBC may have dumped it. What's to stop another channel picking it up like they did with Men Behaving Badly?

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Yes - I think Lee Mack and co should put their business hats on and NOT take this lying down. This is not a 'why don't you just move on' situation.

Presupposing the BBC hasn't precluded this by incorporating exorbitant release fees within the contract making it both an unreasonable and unfeasible business proposition for all but the most adventurous of broadcasters, then I think he should start knocking on doors.

Some (rough) figures, on arguably the top three British sitcoms on our screens during March 2009:

Not Going Out BBC = 3 million average viewing figures over the series.

Moving Wallpaper ITV = 2 million - ditto.

Free Agents Channel 4 = 1 million or less - ditto.

So the top sitcoms during March, on ITV and Channel 4, were only a fraction of a sitcom the BBC has just dropped from the recommissioning process. Either of those two (ITV or Channel 4), could potentially draw an ADDITIONAL 3 million viewers (and rising) to that night's schedule if they bought Lee Mack's show from the Beeb. Both of the BBC's competitors easily orgasm over viewing figures that the BBC wouldn't even get out of bed for (soaps excluded).

Assuming the production and royalty costs did not exceed the Beeb's competitor's budgets the big question is: How much would the BBC charge its competitors to relinquish those release rights? Maybe it's affordable, maybe it's not. Lee and co should set the ball rolling and at least give it a go - WHAT'S TO LOSE?

Quote: Matthew Stott @ March 30 2009, 9:46 PM BST

"Although Moving Wallpaper is aired by another broadcaster, I bet IT gets recommissioned for a third series!"
If those figures are correct, then I doubt it!

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For a number of years now the ratings for 'successful' shows by the BBC's competitors have been very, very, low in comparison to those of the BBC - except for soaps and reality shows. They'd be over the moon for a 3 million+ sitcom. How many years has it been since they achieved that for an original sitcom series?

P.S. Don't forget Moving Wallpaper was recommissioned for a SECOND series on low figures AND that was only after a decoupling from its twin 'Echo Beach' - a joint sitcom experiment which received a critical mauling and a viewer annihilation.

Quote: Badge @ March 30 2009, 9:25 PM BST

Commiserations all round - Andrew, other writers, and especially viewers. But do I take it from reading between the lines of the Andrew/Aaron exchanges that there might yet be a 4th series, and that it might be on BBC Two or BBC Three? Or even *closes eyes* ITV1? It's only been axed because of the BBC One controller, right?

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It's quite unlikely, but what Andrew said was literally that BBC One didn't want any more. At present. It stands a far better chance than most of being able to move as it's produced by a third party (Avalon).

Seeing as Dave is now doing Red Dwarf, I suppose a possibility for NGO would be Dave. After all, it is set in a flat and surely that wouldn't cost much to do. Steptoe and Son was mainly two men in a room and didn't suffer for it.

Absolutely gutted. Echoing previous comments, it makes me wonder just what the hell BBC One are looking for in regards to comedy. They had a winner with NGO I thought. Fingers tightly crossed this isn't the end.

Anabolic?

No just the penis.

That line still cracks me up.

Quote: Yellows 586 @ March 31 2009, 12:42 AM BST

Seeing as Dave is now doing Red Dwarf, I suppose a possibility for NGO would be Dave. After all, it is set in a flat and surely that wouldn't cost much to do. Steptoe and Son was mainly two men in a room and didn't suffer for it.

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I doubt it's "big" enough for the likes of Dave. They can't have that huge a budget for original programming, and I assume that there would have been rights purchases from the BBC proper for Red Dwarf, at astonishing prices. But they know they'll make it back ten-fold because Dwarf is such a huge cult show, both here and overseas.

Been logging on since yesterday's NOTW story and am horrified to find out this is true.

NGO was one of BBC's leading sitcoms of 2009 with more viewers than The Old Guys and anything else post 9pm on the BBC, and certainly more than any sitcom on any commercial channel. What a joke that the BBC recommission second rate sketch shows that get a panning, when NGO ends on a high without any negative reviews.

This really is bad news. As I reported before, I felt 'Winner' was the best sitcom episode I'd seen for years. I am gutted. Severely gutted, but would like to thank Andrew and Lee as well as the other writers for putting together a fantastic sitcom and I hope another channel picks it up.

Quote: Aaron @ March 31 2009, 12:47 AM BST

I doubt it's "big" enough for the likes of Dave. They can't have that huge a budget for original programming, and I assume that there would have been rights purchases from the BBC proper for Red Dwarf, at astonishing prices. But they know they'll make it back ten-fold because Dwarf is such a huge cult show, both here and overseas.

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Very true. Shame really. I suppose in the long term Dave might become some kind of Comedy Central or Paramount Comedy or whatever it's called in the States. What I find strange is ratings seem to be more important now with more channels than it was 20 years ago. I suppose it's like some Darwinian-type survival of the fittest to see which channels make it to the end. So we can look forward to just BBC1, a amalgam of ITV/Channel 4/Channel 5, Sky 1, Sky Sports, E4, Living (the Jade Goody memorial channel), the Non-stop Top Gear channel, Two Pints and a Packet of Pork Scratchings (it will be going longer than Last of the Summer) and the porn channel for Jacqui Smith's husband.

I see petitions were mentioned. I've tried petitions before (like the one below) but I can set up one for NGO and put the link here too.

It probably won't do anything but we can at least club together. I think moreorless everyone on this thread would sign it. Should I get one going?

Quote: Aaron @ March 30 2009, 11:35 PM BST

It's quite unlikely, but what Andrew said was literally that BBC One didn't want any more. At present. It stands a far better chance than most of being able to move as it's produced by a third party (Avalon).

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Pulling wasn't picked up by another channel and the Beeb still made some cash by flogging the repeats to Dave..

The truth is very few shows actually find new homes. Men Behaving Badly is about the only one I can think of.