TV Overnights: ITV1 rules the night thanks to DCI Banks and Coronation Street
Last night, ITV1 provided the viewing nation with the perfect antidote for the midweek blues. No, Mamma Mia wasn’t being broadcast for what would be the 100th time this month – instead we got the penultimate episode of the second series of DCI Banks (9pm).
It’s not that Stephen Tompkinson’s seasoned detective is going to brighten up your damp, dark Wednesday evening – you will however get down on the floor and praise the gods of fate that you don’t live in a world as grey as his. The past four episodes have seen Banks inspect two grizzly murder cases and last night was no exception.
The first part of Innocent Graves dealt with the discovery of a 16 year old theatre amateur, whose body was dumped in a park land in Leeds. At least someone in the tale led a peppy and energetic life, even if it was the cadaver.
The first four episodes of the series have attracted a consistent amount of viewers with no sign of change. 4.2 million viewers watched as Alan Banks possibly fingered the wrong man. The 18% audience share that tuned in won’t have to wait long to get their answers, as the series finale goes out tonight. The cheerful investigation secured the 9pm slot for the commercial channel.
From Leeds to Rio – at the same time on the other side, BBC One and Michael Palin took us on the third leg of the Brazilian odyssey. The wandering senior set his sights on the country’s most famous city – Rio de Janeiro and took in a few novel sights. He popped in to a typical love hotel (the kind that have mirrored ceilings, naturally) and even took part in the gay pride celebrations.
It wasn’t all fun and games though…it wasn’t long before Palin was showing us the dodgier side of the great city, bringing us down with talk of murders, corruption and a hopeless future. Brazil with Michael Palin (9pm) has seen a steady fall in viewers in the past three weeks, starting out with 4.8 million for the opening episode and falling to 3.6 million (a 16% share) last night.
Usually, there’s something a bit too daring about planning a build on Grand Designs (Channel 4, 9pm) in central London. The countryside can accommodate all kinds of disasters that building right under the noses of your neighbours won’t allow. This series has had its fair share of London builds and all of them have aged the project managers by a quite a number of years.
Last night saw the ‘straightforward’ conversion of a dilapidated joinery in North London become something of a nightmare for couple Henning and Alice – meaning it was very entertaining for the audience (an uneventful build is a waste of time). Last night’s spot of ‘bettering the local aesthetic’ attracted Channel 4’s biggest audience of the evening with 2.1 million viewers (a 9% share).
Meanwhile Channel 5 wrapped up the back stabbing, double crossing and whiskey-slinging that was the first series in the successful reboot/remake of Dallas (9pm). JR softened up slightly at his brother’s bedside only to unleash the Texan devil we all know and love in the final moment.
The effective mix of new and old faces (it’s hard to tell if Sue Ellen fits into either category) pulled in an audience of 984,000 and a 4.3% share.
It would seem the majority of the UK doesn’t need glamorous ranches, private jets, oil heirs and all that nonsense – the top two shows of the day belonged to ITV1 and firmly fell in to the British soap category. It was more soggy wellies than tailored Stetsons in Emmerdale at 7pm. Megan and Declan attempted to play the family power struggle game but it wasn’t quite as dramatic as later events. The rural soap pulled in 6.9 million viewers and a 33% share.
Coronation Street followed straight afterwards and sucker-for-drama Maria made a right go of making life more confusing for everybody. 7.7 million viewers, Wednesday’s biggest audience, watched as the lovelorn brunette planted another one on gay BFF Marcus, securing a 35% share.
Another excellent alternative to Dallas was BBC One’s documentary of the underhand tactics being waged in the war for the frugal consumer. Pound Shop Wars (8pm) focused on two glamorous empires of tat – the South was represented by 99p Stores, while Poundworld represented the north.
An impressive 4.5 million viewers watched as each company expanded in to each other’s territories, heralding the Great War for the Slightly Damp But Suspiciously Cheap Large Box of Daz. This was the only time between 6:30 and 10pm that BBC One managed to pull in the biggest share.
Later on in the night, Newsnight US Election (BBC Two, 10:30pm) mopped up the mess of Obama’s presidential victory, live from Washington. They’ve booked the room for the week, they might as well make the most out of it. 709,000 viewers tuned in for Jeremy Paxman’s cuddly and approachable demeanour, securing a 6% share.
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.