OUTCASTS, the eight-part BBC1 sci-fi drama serial, is moving to Sunday at 10:25pm from its original Monday 9pm time slot, Guardian.co.uk reports. Due to disappointing ratings, the change will take place beginning Sunday, February 27. Being so close to the airdate, this type of programming switch is unusual.
The ratings for Outcasts have been in decline since the February 7 launch of the show with 4.4 million viewers. Viewership was down to 2.6 million last week. Despite the low numbers, the BBC drama controller, Ben Stephenson, states that the show has attracted a “loyal, core audience”.
But he goes on to say to Guardian.co.uk that “BBC1 and BBC drama support creative risk. Sometimes this means that talented people make shows that don’t engage enough of the audience. I have so much respect for any writer who has the nerve and confidence to create their own original world and serve it up to an audience”. Yet without a wider audience, an original script and impressive cast are not enough for Outcasts to avoid a schedule change.
Created by Ben Richards (MI-5), the series stars Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty, The L Word), Liam Cunningham (Clash of the Titans), and Hermione Norris (MI-5, Wire In The Blood). Filmed in South Africa, Outcasts is made by Kudos Productions (Spooks, Hustle).
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