http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563814.stm

MOST MISSED TV SERIES
1. Star Trek
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Friends
4. Fawlty Towers
5. Blake's 7
6. The X-Files
7. Babylon 5
8. Stargate*
9. Seinfeld
10. The A-Team
* Stargate is still in production. Source: Home Media Networks

I can't help but have my doubts about the sampling technique...
-- 
A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend

vague disclaimer wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563814.stm
>
> MOST MISSED TV SERIES
> 1. Star Trek
> 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
> 3. Friends
> 4. Fawlty Towers
> 5. Blake's 7
> 6. The X-Files
> 7. Babylon 5
> 8. Stargate*
> 9. Seinfeld
> 10. The A-Team
> * Stargate is still in production. Source: Home Media Networks

Worse than that - it's on Sky One...

> I can't help but have my doubts about the sampling technique...

There's something suspicious all round - the company credited with the 
'survey' haven't updated their website for over a year.
-- 
John Briggs

"John Briggs"  wrote in message news:VMQsf.6983$W4.2592@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net...
> vague disclaimer wrote:
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563814.stm
> >
> > MOST MISSED TV SERIES
> > 1. Star Trek
> > 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
> > 3. Friends
> > 4. Fawlty Towers
> > 5. Blake's 7
> > 6. The X-Files
> > 7. Babylon 5
> > 8. Stargate*
> > 9. Seinfeld
> > 10. The A-Team
> > * Stargate is still in production. Source: Home Media Networks
>
> Worse than that - it's on Sky One...
>
> > I can't help but have my doubts about the sampling technique...
>
> There's something suspicious all round - the company credited with the
> 'survey' haven't updated their website for over a year.

Google throws up the (Scottish) Daily Record web site
which dates its story 2 November 2005

<http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16320422&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=trek-is-the-star--name_page.html>

(sfaict the site's own search facility cannot locate the item).

-- 
John.

"John Briggs"  wrote in message news:VMQsf.6983$W4.2592@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net...
> vague disclaimer wrote:
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563814.stm
> >
> > MOST MISSED TV SERIES
> > 1. Star Trek
> > 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
> > 3. Friends
> > 4. Fawlty Towers
> > 5. Blake's 7
> > 6. The X-Files
> > 7. Babylon 5
> > 8. Stargate*
> > 9. Seinfeld
> > 10. The A-Team
> > * Stargate is still in production. Source: Home Media Networks
>
> Worse than that - it's on Sky One...
>
> > I can't help but have my doubts about the sampling technique...
>
> There's something suspicious all round - the company credited with the
> 'survey' haven't updated their website for over a year.

You are looking at the wrong bit. The company site links to
the software site which has a bulletin board which gives us:

http://www.showshifter.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000072;p=1#000000

:> posted 21. September 2005 02:57 PM
:> ----------------------------------
:> Hi all,
:>
:> We have an excellent response to our recent TV watching survey, with
:> over 1000 replies. Perhaps it's something to do with offering a prize???
:>
:> The winners have been chosen at random, and already informed of their prize.
:>
:> Top prize of a £50 Amazon voucher went to [ one name snipped ]
:>
:> Runner up prizes of £25 vouchers went to [ two names snipped ]
:>
:> Thanks to everyone for taking part.

-- 
John.

In article <VMQsf.6983$W4.2592@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net>,
 "John Briggs"  wrote:

> vague disclaimer wrote:
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563814.stm
> >
> > MOST MISSED TV SERIES
> > 1. Star Trek
> > 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
> > 3. Friends
> > 4. Fawlty Towers
> > 5. Blake's 7
> > 6. The X-Files
> > 7. Babylon 5
> > 8. Stargate*
> > 9. Seinfeld
> > 10. The A-Team
> > * Stargate is still in production. Source: Home Media Networks
> 
> Worse than that - it's on Sky One...
> 
> > I can't help but have my doubts about the sampling technique...
> 
> There's something suspicious all round - the company credited with the 
> 'survey' haven't updated their website for over a year.

Be that as it may, I am a tad sceptical that such a list would be 
generated by a statistically representative sample of the UK population 
without some seriously leading questions.
-- 
A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend

vague disclaimer wrote:
> In article <VMQsf.6983$W4.2592@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net>,
> "John Briggs"  wrote:
>
>> vague disclaimer wrote:
>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563814.stm
>>>
>>> MOST MISSED TV SERIES
>>> 1. Star Trek
>>> 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
>>> 3. Friends
>>> 4. Fawlty Towers
>>> 5. Blake's 7
>>> 6. The X-Files
>>> 7. Babylon 5
>>> 8. Stargate*
>>> 9. Seinfeld
>>> 10. The A-Team
>>> * Stargate is still in production. Source: Home Media Networks
>>
>> Worse than that - it's on Sky One...
>>
>>> I can't help but have my doubts about the sampling technique...
>>
>> There's something suspicious all round - the company credited with
>> the 'survey' haven't updated their website for over a year.
>
> Be that as it may, I am a tad sceptical that such a list would be
> generated by a statistically representative sample of the UK
> population without some seriously leading questions.

Well, it wasn't representative - it was self-selected users of the software 
entering a prize draw.  Allegedly, because I can't find details of the 
original survey.  But then, John L has more patience, so maybe he can :-)
-- 
John Briggs