Timing

BBC TV Uber-controller Charlotte Moore needs a better plan next year for the gap between big beast series ending and Wimbledon/summer sport. ITV has put on audience compared with the same weeks last year, at the expense of BBC1.

The scheduling of Jimmy McGovern's Iraq politics drama Reg, which had to be post-watershed because of swearing and violence, biffed Monday's BBC1 Ten O'Clock bulletin to 10.30pm, and an audience of 2.4m. Reg was watched by 2.45m. Viewers preferred ITV's Heathrow doc, at 3.5m and the ITV News at Ten, watched by 3.6m.

As if to emphasise the learning point, last week's England v Portugal match on ITV was watched by 5.3m - but the post match blah-blah chuntered on to 10.15pm. BBC News at Ten O'clock recorded a stonking 5.03m.

Meanwhile, the most recent edition of ITV's Peston On Sunday stumbled down to180k viewers - 3.2% of the available audience. From next week, it gets trimmed by 5 minutes, and a late night repeat.

The Monday night Top Gear repeat on BBC2 was watched by 738,000. The old team usually recorded something well over 1m for that slot.