24 Hours in A&E’s new series and new location nets 2m
Thursday night saw Channel 4 launch a shiny new series of 24 Hours in A&E (9pm), one of the many similarly-formatted and cost-effective documentaries that the broadcaster has fallen in love with in recent years.
Following on from ambulance services, maternity wards, chicken shops and, most recently, a very busy police station in Luton, the fixed-rigged documentary format has done Channel 4 well.
Going under the pretence of highlighting UK life in all its various forms, many productions have somehow been given unlimited access to some very high stress environments, with 24 Hours in A&E throwing up some particularly grizzly situations.
The seventh series of the real-life and death drama saw the focus move from crusty old King’s College to St George’s – another shinier, bigger South London hospital – as a plethora of human interest stories were wheeled through the halls disguised as trauma victims.
Last night, a little over 2 million viewers tuned in to see two young women facing two very different problems. The tale of a 19 year old with a knitting needle stuck in her foot and a young woman facing amputation after a motorbike accident netting a 10% audience share.
Meanwhile, BBC One offered up some real life observational content of its own, with Life Story (9pm) offering up stars that were just as bloody and traumatised as anything Channel 4 had to offer.
The second episode of David Attenborough’s chronological look at the animal kingdom’s life lessons focused on Growing Up after last week’s super-distressing First Steps.
With no scenes of young cliff-based goslings hurtling themselves to their deaths, last week’s audience of 4.4 million viewers fell to 3.9 million last night with scenes of young tiger cubs and arctic foxes finding their feet netting a 19% share.
Over on BBC Two, the penultimate episode of period crime drama Peaky Blinders (9pm) saw Cillian Murphy’s mob boss backed into a corner as most of his army of razor-blade-hidden-in-cap wearers met a sticky end.
A consistently small audience of 1.4 million viewers tuned in for the 1920s-set drama, resulting in a 7% share.
Somehow, after three elongated weeks, the unquenchable flames were still licking away at ye olde time London over on ITV. The Great Fire (9pm) continued to rage on as the melodrama factor increased while the audience seriously diminished.
Opening up with 4.5 million viewers, last night’s 60 minute chunk of pyrotechnics and wigs brought in 2.5 million viewers and a 12% share.
Meanwhile Channel 5 was filling up its schedule with more tabloid fodder with ‘undercover investigation’ Sham Wedding Crashers at 9pm. An audience of 838,000 viewers and a 4% share tuned in to see Irish investigative journalist Paul Connolly lap up the limelight while getting a mate to marry a desperate foreigner.
Earlier in the day Charity Dingle attempted to redeem herself by threatening to kill a blackmailer on charming farm drama Emmerdale (ITV). The first episode at 7pm secured 5.9 million viewers with the second helping at 8pm securing 5.8 million.
But it was the drama over in Albert Square that brought in Thursday’s biggest audience and a 32% share. 6.3 million viewers tuned into EastEnders (7:30pm) to see poor old Dot Cotton catch a glimpse of her dead son through her kitchen window, leading to a dramatic Monday showdown and 6.3 million viewers.
Overnight data is available each morning in mediatel.co.uk’s TV Database, with all BARB registered subscribers able to view reports for terrestrial networks and key multi-channel stations. Overnight data supplied by TRP are based on 15 minute slot averages. This may differ from tape checked figures, which are based on a programme’s actual start and end time.
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