Well the aftermath of last night's murderer reveal is certainly making waves among the show's characters, but what about the show's Fiver fans? Here's some more responses that we've found online. As usual, it's close to impossible to find any criticism of the show from those who actually take the time to watch it.
Supersoapgirl, on Digital Spy: "I've been really shocked by just how good this is when you get into it. I've only been watching since it started on Fiver but now I'm hooked! It'll be interesting to see how it progresses now the mystery is over. It's a shame it hasn't been recommissioned as I think it had a lot of potential."
misspeg, on Digital Spy: "They really need to rethink recommissioning it. [...] I think they should keep an eye on viewing figures towards the end of the series and advertise it more! If they'd advertised some of the more recent storylines then I think more people might have picked up on it and thought OH maybe this is getting better."
Pierced Musie, on Back to the Bay: "Wow... the acting completely put some of the Home and Away cast to shame. [...] Awesome moments."
Luke, petition supporter: "I can't believe I missed this fantastic soap on the Beeb! I really hope Five recommission another series!"
Ruth, petition supporter: "It's the best show in a long time."
Sam, petition supporter: "Please please add another series! This is a great show, but it was NEVER marketed properly so most of my friends who love Home and Away, and who would have loved this show, never watched it!"
As usual, we encourage anyone who feels the same way to express their views directly (but politely) to the people who count - the BBC, Five and Ten. Emails are great too but bear in mind that physical letters often show more passion/commitment because they take a little bit more effort.
Thanks for reading the blog and keep visiting.
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Tuesday 28 April 2009
Fiver viewers find out who the murderer is!
Well tonight one of the most thrilling episodes in Out of the Blue history aired on Fiver. As we have Australian readers who haven't seen it yet we won't reveal anything, except to say that the show's fresh lot of UK fans finally got a chance to find out who killed Philby... and why.
With fantastically acted scenes and compelling and shocking writing that brought together all of the loose ends and mysteries of the first 60 episodes, it's no surprise that the show is getting high praise once again from a small but dedicated fanbase. Here's what some new viewers have had to say (remember this is spoiler free).
Hazel, on Facebook: "WOW!!!! That was so good!! I just watched Friday, Monday and Tuesday's in a row and it was so exciting [...] I can't believe they're not making another series of this, it's soooooo good! Please tell me it remains as good? I'm assuming it does since I still loved watching even when we thought Ray was the murderer."
LukeCageH4H, on Digital Spy: "I just watched tonight's episode and all I can say is holy cow!!! I have never been so impressed with a soap. It is such a shame it has been cancelled. Let's hope Fiver make a second run."
ukdiva23, on Digital Spy: "I'm enjoying it so far, can't believe I missed it first time round."
misspeg, on Digital Spy: "Top class television! I can't believe how good the show is, it's disappointing it hasn't been a success because I think once you get over the initial 'new show, new characters' thing, the characters become easy to get to know and enjoy watching. I started watching near the beginning and turned off again, I recently went back to watching it so I rewatched the episodes I could on Demand Five and now I'm sat here a couple of weeks later wishing it didn't have to end."
It could have all been so different...
With fantastically acted scenes and compelling and shocking writing that brought together all of the loose ends and mysteries of the first 60 episodes, it's no surprise that the show is getting high praise once again from a small but dedicated fanbase. Here's what some new viewers have had to say (remember this is spoiler free).
Hazel, on Facebook: "WOW!!!! That was so good!! I just watched Friday, Monday and Tuesday's in a row and it was so exciting [...] I can't believe they're not making another series of this, it's soooooo good! Please tell me it remains as good? I'm assuming it does since I still loved watching even when we thought Ray was the murderer."
LukeCageH4H, on Digital Spy: "I just watched tonight's episode and all I can say is holy cow!!! I have never been so impressed with a soap. It is such a shame it has been cancelled. Let's hope Fiver make a second run."
ukdiva23, on Digital Spy: "I'm enjoying it so far, can't believe I missed it first time round."
misspeg, on Digital Spy: "Top class television! I can't believe how good the show is, it's disappointing it hasn't been a success because I think once you get over the initial 'new show, new characters' thing, the characters become easy to get to know and enjoy watching. I started watching near the beginning and turned off again, I recently went back to watching it so I rewatched the episodes I could on Demand Five and now I'm sat here a couple of weeks later wishing it didn't have to end."
It could have all been so different...
A year ago today...
Well it's been one year since Out of the Blue launched on BBC One on April 28, 2008. As most people will know, it made a decent debut with 1.2m viewers but steadily dropped to around 600,000 viewers over the next nine days, prompting the BBC to shift it to BBC Two and thus killing the show off from pretty much day one.
One year on, and the impact of that decision is still being felt. Many people regard Out of the Blue as a turkey, when in fact it was a million times better than Neighbours and Home and Away and just needed a fair chance to prove itself.
The loss of the BBC's backing also put Australia's Ten network off the show, perhaps partly due to financial reasons (ie reluctance to take over financial responsibility for the series if it became popular). For that reason, we've seen appalling timeslots and abysmal treatment in Australia, with the show now running just once a week at 5.30pm Sundays despite building up a decent fanbase at 10.30pm which was growing all the time.
The latest news about the show is that, after this week's murder-related bombshells, it's being taken out of its 7.30pm slot on Fiver. From next week, the schedule will be as follows:
Fiver
6.45am Out of the Blue
4.05pm Out of the Blue
Fiver+1
7.45am Out of the Blue
5.05pm Out of the Blue
This new schedule won't come into effect properly until Tuesday 5th May. On Monday 4th, only the 6.45am showing will air - a repeat of Friday's episode. The logic behind it seems to be that, from Tuesday, the two showings will be the same episode each day.
Finally, we haven't updated on the Aussie ratings for a while because it's just been more of the same. However, here's how the show has been doing recently:
April 13
Episode 48: 239,000
April 20
Episode 49: 262,000
April 27
Episode 50: 221,000 according to OzTam figures, 229,000 according to Ten figures.
With 80 episodes left to air on Ten, who knows how long this situation is going to be allowed to play out for. As has been stated before, it'd be a huge surprise if Ten got rid of the show altogether as they need it for local drama points. To get these points, the show must air between 5.00pm and 11.00pm.
You would think that it would make more sense for them to play the episodes out more quickly to avoid Out of the Blue sticking around forever. However, airing it more frequently could see the show creating the momentum and buzz that it was successfully building up at 10.30pm - a situation that Ten seems determined to avoid. As always, we'll keep you informed of any updates.
No matter what the figures say, we know that Out of the Blue is a fantastic programme with great talent involved in every aspect of the show. Nobody who has given the show a fair chance - whether in the UK or Australia - has a bad word to say about it. The problem lies with poor promotion and lack of faith from TV networks who should know better.
All we can do as fans, especially those in Australia where there are still many episodes left to run (containing some truly fantastic moments), is try to keep spreading the word about the show, sending the Youtube videos along, signing the petitions - and perhaps most importantly - writing to letters pages, newsdesks and the network itself.
One year on, and the impact of that decision is still being felt. Many people regard Out of the Blue as a turkey, when in fact it was a million times better than Neighbours and Home and Away and just needed a fair chance to prove itself.
The loss of the BBC's backing also put Australia's Ten network off the show, perhaps partly due to financial reasons (ie reluctance to take over financial responsibility for the series if it became popular). For that reason, we've seen appalling timeslots and abysmal treatment in Australia, with the show now running just once a week at 5.30pm Sundays despite building up a decent fanbase at 10.30pm which was growing all the time.
The latest news about the show is that, after this week's murder-related bombshells, it's being taken out of its 7.30pm slot on Fiver. From next week, the schedule will be as follows:
Fiver
6.45am Out of the Blue
4.05pm Out of the Blue
Fiver+1
7.45am Out of the Blue
5.05pm Out of the Blue
This new schedule won't come into effect properly until Tuesday 5th May. On Monday 4th, only the 6.45am showing will air - a repeat of Friday's episode. The logic behind it seems to be that, from Tuesday, the two showings will be the same episode each day.
Finally, we haven't updated on the Aussie ratings for a while because it's just been more of the same. However, here's how the show has been doing recently:
April 13
Episode 48: 239,000
April 20
Episode 49: 262,000
April 27
Episode 50: 221,000 according to OzTam figures, 229,000 according to Ten figures.
With 80 episodes left to air on Ten, who knows how long this situation is going to be allowed to play out for. As has been stated before, it'd be a huge surprise if Ten got rid of the show altogether as they need it for local drama points. To get these points, the show must air between 5.00pm and 11.00pm.
You would think that it would make more sense for them to play the episodes out more quickly to avoid Out of the Blue sticking around forever. However, airing it more frequently could see the show creating the momentum and buzz that it was successfully building up at 10.30pm - a situation that Ten seems determined to avoid. As always, we'll keep you informed of any updates.
No matter what the figures say, we know that Out of the Blue is a fantastic programme with great talent involved in every aspect of the show. Nobody who has given the show a fair chance - whether in the UK or Australia - has a bad word to say about it. The problem lies with poor promotion and lack of faith from TV networks who should know better.
All we can do as fans, especially those in Australia where there are still many episodes left to run (containing some truly fantastic moments), is try to keep spreading the word about the show, sending the Youtube videos along, signing the petitions - and perhaps most importantly - writing to letters pages, newsdesks and the network itself.
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Out of the Blue: Fan Made Trailer 3
We've uploaded another one of our Out of the Blue trailers to our Youtube channel. Some of the clips will already be familiar from our other videos, but we've tried to add some more fun moments to this one too. Also, with a shorter running time, it's designed to be all you need to know about Out of the Blue in 3 minutes and 21 seconds...
If you're totally spoiler-phobic, you might want to avoid this one. There's a few glimpses of upcoming storylines on there, but it doesn't really give away anything major.
Don't forget to pass our videos on to friends if you want Out of the Blue to build a bigger fanbase. As always, enjoy!
If you're totally spoiler-phobic, you might want to avoid this one. There's a few glimpses of upcoming storylines on there, but it doesn't really give away anything major.
Don't forget to pass our videos on to friends if you want Out of the Blue to build a bigger fanbase. As always, enjoy!
Monday 13 April 2009
The Australian reports on our campaign!
Our blog gets a mention from The Australian newspaper today!
In its latest media round-up, the paper reports on the frustration felt by Australian fans of Out of the Blue following the shoddy treatment it's received from Ten.
Under the headline Big Blue, they point out that Out of the Blue has a loyal fanbase but has been shunted around the schedules right from the beginning. They also kindly give a link to this blog.
So, welcome to any new readers! We hope you enjoy what the site has to offer. This is pretty much the only website which gives regular updates on what's going on with the show, so if you want to be kept informed about schedule information, media coverage and what the cast are up to, bookmark us and check back often.
If you want to help the show, there are two main things you can do. First of all, the Save Out of the Blue petition and Out of the Blue Second Series petition are always in need of new signatures.
Secondly, if you're an Australian fan, contacting Ten to request a better slot and network backing for Out of the Blue would be another great thing to do. Many fans have been using the Contact Us forum on Ten's own website to do this, but they don't seem to pay any attention to it.
For that reason, we're recommending writing to your local Ten office using the relevant address on this page. It obviously takes a little bit more effort than using the internet, but if you're here, you'll probably agree that Out of the Blue is worth it. We won't get a new series of the show if things don't pick up in Australia, and the best way to make sure that happens is by keeping up the pressure for a regular timeslot on Ten - and not just one episode a week!
Finally, if you're looking for a place to chat to other fans, the Facebook group is very active, with multiple postings and discussions going on every day. Cast members have also been known to post on there, but you'll have to join to find out who!
Thanks for visiting and carry on supporting Out of the Blue!
In its latest media round-up, the paper reports on the frustration felt by Australian fans of Out of the Blue following the shoddy treatment it's received from Ten.
Under the headline Big Blue, they point out that Out of the Blue has a loyal fanbase but has been shunted around the schedules right from the beginning. They also kindly give a link to this blog.
So, welcome to any new readers! We hope you enjoy what the site has to offer. This is pretty much the only website which gives regular updates on what's going on with the show, so if you want to be kept informed about schedule information, media coverage and what the cast are up to, bookmark us and check back often.
If you want to help the show, there are two main things you can do. First of all, the Save Out of the Blue petition and Out of the Blue Second Series petition are always in need of new signatures.
Secondly, if you're an Australian fan, contacting Ten to request a better slot and network backing for Out of the Blue would be another great thing to do. Many fans have been using the Contact Us forum on Ten's own website to do this, but they don't seem to pay any attention to it.
For that reason, we're recommending writing to your local Ten office using the relevant address on this page. It obviously takes a little bit more effort than using the internet, but if you're here, you'll probably agree that Out of the Blue is worth it. We won't get a new series of the show if things don't pick up in Australia, and the best way to make sure that happens is by keeping up the pressure for a regular timeslot on Ten - and not just one episode a week!
Finally, if you're looking for a place to chat to other fans, the Facebook group is very active, with multiple postings and discussions going on every day. Cast members have also been known to post on there, but you'll have to join to find out who!
Thanks for visiting and carry on supporting Out of the Blue!
Friday 10 April 2009
Clips: Blade's revenge
Blade's final encounter with Bec and Kirsten was one of the scariest moments of the whole series, and you can now relive it with the videos below.
Don't forget to keep visiting our Youtube channel for more exciting and memorable Out of the Blue clips. If you enjoy them, why not pass them on to friends who don't watch the show and let them see what they're missing.
Don't forget to keep visiting our Youtube channel for more exciting and memorable Out of the Blue clips. If you enjoy them, why not pass them on to friends who don't watch the show and let them see what they're missing.
Wednesday 8 April 2009
Clip: Gabby gets another grilling from Wilson
Here's one of the latest clips uploaded to our Youtube channel. This one shows Gabby getting another grilling from Detective Wilson after a second piece of information links her to the murder. Did she do it, or are her excuses genuine?
Monday 6 April 2009
Aussie ratings: April 5
Out of the Blue returned to Ten last night after being taken off for Formula 1 coverage the previous weekend.
There were no unexpected miracles in terms of the show's ratings, but it did manage to get the highest figure that it's had since being taken out of its 10.30pm slot.
Episode 47, which explored Jarrod's surprise inclusion in Philby's will (and airs on Fiver in the UK tonight), pulled in 316,000 viewers, a rise of 27,000 from what it got two weeks ago. It was ranked 29th for the day.
There were no unexpected miracles in terms of the show's ratings, but it did manage to get the highest figure that it's had since being taken out of its 10.30pm slot.
Episode 47, which explored Jarrod's surprise inclusion in Philby's will (and airs on Fiver in the UK tonight), pulled in 316,000 viewers, a rise of 27,000 from what it got two weeks ago. It was ranked 29th for the day.
Saturday 4 April 2009
Shane Withington in Summer Bay
Shane Withington - best known to us as Detective Wilson - gets a mention in Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper today.
The paper reports that he's landed a guest role in Home and Away, which will keep him busy over the next few months. He plays John Palmer, a member of the surf lifesaving club.
Sadly the newspaper doesn't mention that Shane is also in our favourite show.
Just in case you're losing track, Aidan Gillett (Daniel McManus), Bernard Curry (Nate Perrett), John Atkinson (Stephen Mulroney) and Samara Weaving (Kirsten Mulroney) have all either been in, or been linked to, Home and Away in recent months. Kain O'Keefe, who played crazy Blade, is also about to pop up on UK screens.
Pretty soon it'll be hard for the casual viewer to tell the difference between the two shows!
The paper reports that he's landed a guest role in Home and Away, which will keep him busy over the next few months. He plays John Palmer, a member of the surf lifesaving club.
Sadly the newspaper doesn't mention that Shane is also in our favourite show.
Just in case you're losing track, Aidan Gillett (Daniel McManus), Bernard Curry (Nate Perrett), John Atkinson (Stephen Mulroney) and Samara Weaving (Kirsten Mulroney) have all either been in, or been linked to, Home and Away in recent months. Kain O'Keefe, who played crazy Blade, is also about to pop up on UK screens.
Pretty soon it'll be hard for the casual viewer to tell the difference between the two shows!
Friday 3 April 2009
Out of the Blue gets 'underrated' nomination... and more
Finally, some (kind of) positive Out of the Blue news to share from Australia.
The show has picked up two nominations for The Sun Herald's Bogie Awards, described as "the hall of shame for television's most annoying, embarrassing and underrated programs and personalities".
That's terrible, you might say. But thankfully Out of the Blue has been spared the further blow of appearing in the rubbish categories, and instead is nominated for Most Underrated and Most Jerked Around By The Networks.
In the Most Underrated category, it appears alongside the fine company of 30 Rock, Good Game, Prison Break, Dexter, Review by Miles Barlow, The Einstein Factor, In Treatment, ABC2 News Breakfast, Eli Stone and Rush.
In the Most Jerked Around By The Networks category, it's up against 24, Without A Trace, CSI: Miami, Scrubs, Cold Case, ER and Ugly Betty.
If you want to vote for Out of the Blue, you can do so using the site's comments section here. Please note that you're required to vote in each category, not just the ones which feature Out of the Blue.
It's unlikely that the show will win, but there's no harm in voting. In any case, it's good to see that Ten's abysmal treatment of Out of the Blue hasn't gone completely unnoticed in Australia.
The show has picked up two nominations for The Sun Herald's Bogie Awards, described as "the hall of shame for television's most annoying, embarrassing and underrated programs and personalities".
That's terrible, you might say. But thankfully Out of the Blue has been spared the further blow of appearing in the rubbish categories, and instead is nominated for Most Underrated and Most Jerked Around By The Networks.
In the Most Underrated category, it appears alongside the fine company of 30 Rock, Good Game, Prison Break, Dexter, Review by Miles Barlow, The Einstein Factor, In Treatment, ABC2 News Breakfast, Eli Stone and Rush.
In the Most Jerked Around By The Networks category, it's up against 24, Without A Trace, CSI: Miami, Scrubs, Cold Case, ER and Ugly Betty.
If you want to vote for Out of the Blue, you can do so using the site's comments section here. Please note that you're required to vote in each category, not just the ones which feature Out of the Blue.
It's unlikely that the show will win, but there's no harm in voting. In any case, it's good to see that Ten's abysmal treatment of Out of the Blue hasn't gone completely unnoticed in Australia.
Clip: Out of the Blue's airport shooting
Another day, another memorable clip for you to relive from our Youtube channel.
This one shows a dramatic shooting at the airport as Tess tries to escape with the diamonds. It was a great way to bring the diamonds/threatening emails story to a climax and probably the biggest cliffhanger that we'd seen at that point in the show.
Enjoy the clip, and don't forget to pass the links to all of our clips on to your friends if you want them to become Out of the Blue fanatics too.
This one shows a dramatic shooting at the airport as Tess tries to escape with the diamonds. It was a great way to bring the diamonds/threatening emails story to a climax and probably the biggest cliffhanger that we'd seen at that point in the show.
Enjoy the clip, and don't forget to pass the links to all of our clips on to your friends if you want them to become Out of the Blue fanatics too.
Thursday 2 April 2009
Clip: Lucia's secrets revealed
Here's another recent clip of Out of the Blue from our Youtube channel. This one shows Lucia's secret relationship being revealed, and she also lets slip a possible clue about Philby's murder.
One of the great things about this clip is how, at first, it seems like an ordinary 'forbidden love' type storyline... but then you get the added sinister twist of what Lucia might know about Philby's death. Out of the Blue always seems to keep you guessing and goes just that bit further than other soaps, constantly keeping viewers on their toes.
Enjoy.
One of the great things about this clip is how, at first, it seems like an ordinary 'forbidden love' type storyline... but then you get the added sinister twist of what Lucia might know about Philby's death. Out of the Blue always seems to keep you guessing and goes just that bit further than other soaps, constantly keeping viewers on their toes.
Enjoy.
Wednesday 1 April 2009
Out of the Blue videos
Over the next few days we're hoping to make more use of the Youtube channel by uploading some memorable/interesting clips from the series. Hopefully, as well as serving the obvious purpose of allowing people to rewatch certain scenes, they'll be another way of showcasing what the show is like and good to send to friends if you want to get them hooked.
We don't want to pre-empt the Australian airings though, so as such, nothing will be put up until it's aired on Ten.
Check out the full list of videos here.
Below is the recent clip of Gabby getting a grilling from Detective Wilson after her secret romance with Philby was exposed.
We don't want to pre-empt the Australian airings though, so as such, nothing will be put up until it's aired on Ten.
Check out the full list of videos here.
Below is the recent clip of Gabby getting a grilling from Detective Wilson after her secret romance with Philby was exposed.
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