Get a load of this - ITV are dropping the second episode of Pushing Daisies so that they can finish the series before Euro 2008 begins.

This isn’t the first time one of the major networks has screwed over the fans of a TV show in favour of another show. The Doctor Who timeslot varies ridiculously due to the BBC giving other programmes priority.

Apparently, they will drop the second episode - which gives us more insight into Ned and his ability to raise the dead - because it’s the only episode they could lose without spoiling the story.

I beg to differ, brainiacs at ITV. I personally think the back story is important to shows like this. And the delivery of the first episode was so good, I wouldn’t mind finding out more about Ned and how he came to terms with his abilities.

“I know, let’s blame the writer’s strike!”

I loved this:

The broadcaster blamed the mix-up on the US writers’ strike, which meant only nine episodes of Pushing Daisies were made.

Right, let’s put our maths heads on. If there had been no Hollywood writer’s strike, how many episodes would have been made? 13? 26?

Either way, Pushing Daisies would have run up against the football season. So, either the scheduling boffins at ITV are scrambling for an excuse or…they’d have had to drop all those other episodes too.

A lesson in turning scheduling stupidity into marketing genius

ITV streamed the first episode of Pushing Daisies via their website, didn’t they? Well, why not stream the second episode as an exclusive, web only episode?

That way, people like me who want the backstory can go online and watch it, and the others can just pick up from the third episode.

By doing that, they’d be showing fans of the programme a little more respect and giving them the choice as to whether to miss the episode. Forgive me, but I’m not about to wait until they repeat the series to watch the second episode, as they claim it would “be shown at some point because the series will be repeated”.