TV Overnights: Attenborough’s trip to Africa nets the prime time slot for BBC One
The brand new year has already seen the return of a few of 2012’s favourite shows and last night was no exception. Wednesday night brought viewers (and unwilling husbands, presumably) back to Leeds General Infirmary, the most tricked out baby factory in the UK.
New beginnings has generally been the overarching plot device on One Born Every Minute, the documentary that features heavily pregnant and suspiciously TV-ready women as they share their special moment of magic with the entire nation. From every conceivable angle.
The maternity ward has been fitted with more cameras and recording devices than Tulisa’s hotel room, resulting in a documentary that, conflictingly, has a natural soap feel. The first episode of the fourth series focused on ‘active birth’ (don’t ask) and attracted 2.6 million viewers (a 10% audience share) resulting in Channel 4’s biggest hit of the day.
Over on BBC One at the same time Sir David Frederick Attenborough pointed his shiny HD cameras at the planes of the Kalahari Desert and netted the channel’s biggest audience of the day in the process. Africa (9pm) kicked off six episodes about the continent’s natural wildlife in all its diversity.
On display in the first part were ostriches, rhinos, giraffes and meerkats – literally the whole gang was there. The documentary show featured the usual cute/traumatising ration into its narrative and bagged 6.5 million viewers, the biggest audience in the prime time slot, resulting in an impressive 25% share.
Speaking of new arrivals, patient and devoted fans of regional homicide welcomed the New Year with gusto as 2013 promised to bring three new episodes of Midsomer Murders (ITV1). The second half of series fifteen’s multitude of suffering kicked off at 8pm as a journalist was found dead featuring marks reminiscent of a vampire bite. A dabble in cross genre experimentation is probably a wise idea after 15 long years of twee massacres.
5 million viewers caught up with the latest trip to the UK’s biggest producer of deranged killers. An average audience share of 20% tuned in for the entire two hour running time and secured the biggest share across all channels in its first hour.
Even though it was overshadowed by the events on ITV1, the BBC’s trusty and constant schedule staple Holby City (BBC One, 8pm) was watched by the usual core fan base. 4.4 million viewers watched as ‘unconventional’ doctor Luc made a breakthrough in his research, pulling in an 18% share.
Up against the trusted and familiar drama was Channel 4’s own indispensable schedule filler. 8pm saw former fatty Gok Wan venture further into the murky world of brand extension with a new series. Not content on being the dating show host that really cares in last year’s insanely stupid Baggage, last night saw Gok position himself as the style consultant (and BFF) that really cares.
Gok’s Style Secrets saw the self appointed life guru apply his classic ‘sass’ to help out less unfortunate singletons. 1.9 million viewers watched as Gok built a lonely nursery teacher’s confidence by changing everything about her and teaching her how to brazenly flirt.
It was kind of like that series where Trinny and Susanna let guests talk about their struggles and everyone would always end up crying. No, wait…it was exactly like that. An audience share of 8% learned Gok’s most treasured secret – apparently buying endless amounts of sparkly tat can smooth over those silly female personality problems.
Very early on in the evening the rural goings on in Emmerdale (7pm) pulled in ITV1’s second biggest audience of the day. 7.3 million people caught up with the latest bed-hopping murderous antics from the good folk of the Yorkshire Dales, resulting in a 32% share.
But in the end it was our Fiz’s 100th trip to the casualty department that scored Wednesday’s biggest audience. Last night’s dose of Coronation Street (7:30pm) saw the Weatherfield pariah suffer from possible brain damage due to some dodgy boiler-meddling by secret squeeze Tyrone.
A total of 9.1 million viewers (a 38% audience share) watched as Tommy took the blame, in a desperate attempt to keep the affair hidden from volatile and unpredictable Kirsty.
Also; Nigel Havers attempted to passionately snog Gail Platt.
Let that image roll around in your mind for a while.
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.