BBC soap moved after ratings slide

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The show which replaced Neighbours is being moved to BBC2 following disappointing ratings.

Out Of The Blue, set in an Australian beach resort, made its debut on BBC1 less than a fortnight ago.

It replaced Neighbours after the popular Australian soap was bought by channel Five.

The 130-episode afternoon series, which launched on April 28, is being moved to BBC2 from May 19 after the audience fell to 700,000 from 1.2 million at its launch.

Out Of The Blue, which features a group of 30-something friends who return to their home town for a high school reunion, is not broadcast in Neighbours' schedule slot of 1.40pm.

But the soap is seen as BBC1's answer to the loss of Neighbours.

Jane Tranter, BBC controller of fiction, called it "an ambitious project that we think will break new ground, at the same time as providing daytime audiences with a compelling and intriguing watch", when the commission was announced in November.

A BBC spokesman said: "The BBC often looks at scheduling across its portfolio of channels to ensure that we have the best mix of programming to suit the needs of the audience.

"Out Of The Blue is a bold and original commission for BBC daytime with its compelling mix of human drama and its intriguing murder mystery set in a stunning location.

"The afternoon slot on BBC1 which the series had been in is very competitive and by moving the show to BBC2 we hope it will find a stronger home."



Source: The Press Association