TV Overnights: ITV’s bright new day scores Monday’s biggest audience of 9.7m
Last night, BBC One offered up an hour of Prozac shaped prime time to chase away the Monday winter blues. The nation is clearly in a desperate state of anxiety and the great corporation’s response was equally severe.
The first half of prescription comedy came in the lofty form of the terminally inept Miranda (BBC One, 9pm), who wasn’t feeling too great herself. We’re officially more than halfway through the third series of the very successful show, closer to the end than the beginning.
Last night saw the socially unskilled comedian looking after her ill mother, remaining housebound for five days. 7.1 million viewers tuned in for the first filmed-in-front-of-a-studio-audience old school vibe of the night, resulting in a 27% share.
Up next was what most people would consider a much more serious offender, one who makes Miranda Hart’s bumbling look positively charming. Brendan O’Carroll’s crude drag show may have been around for twenty plus years but that doesn’t mean we have to like Mrs Brown’s Boys (BBC One, 9:30pm).
Last night saw Agnes and her theatrically husky daughter plot to have granddad declared mentally unwell in order for the rowdy matriarch to take a holiday. The Dublin-set comedy proved slightly more popular than Miranda with 7.3 million viewers and a 28% share.
Individually the two comedies pulled in the biggest audience share for their time slots. From 9pm onwards BBC One held a tight grip on to the largest share, slightly overshadowing ITV1.
You’d think Monday night was all about the BBC, with their bigger prime time ratings and what not. However, Monday marked the dawn of a brand new brand for the beeb’s main commercial rival – the modestly renamed ITV. Let’s not talk about the actual logo though. Seriously.
The new, sparkly and la-de-da ITV finally offered up the second half of the opening episode of Lewis (9pm) a whole week after fans were left hanging. It remains to be seen if the broadcaster will revert the detective series back to its original and favoured two-hour format but viewers haven’t exactly been running away in droves.
6.1 million patient viewers tuned in to see that there were actually some people still left in Oxford who hadn’t been murdered yet. The concluding part saw the local clairvoyant community in turmoil following even more deaths. Part two of Down Among the Fearful captured a 23% share.
Meanwhile, there was some worthy education to be dished out over on Channel 4 as the second episode of Embarrassing Fat Bodies (9pm) aired. 1.6 million people watched as Drs Christian and Pixie encouraged the TV nation to point and laugh at fat people who had been properly whacked around the body with the unfortunate stick.
But it’s all okay, as long as we learn something. Thankfully, 6% of the available audience were educated about the dangers of obesity. And filling out TV consent forms.
With Stargazing Live all wrapped up, many of you have been left bereft, drifting lost through the TV landscape without hope or purpose. Last night’s launch of Winterwatch 2013 (BBC Two, 8:30pm) must have been an oasis for many fans – a safe haven for those who love staring at things from afar.
The first of four visits to the frozen wastelands of Scotland started out well with 2.2 million viewers and an 8% share catching up with creatures that were close to death.
Early on in the evening was the usually flurry of soap land fun. First up was Emmerdale at 7pm on ITV which bagged 7.8 million viewers and a 34% share. Next up was the first visit to Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) which brought in the day’s biggest audience.
A whopping 9.7 million viewers (40% share) tuned in to watch Kylie’s fun adventure in an abortion clinic with the second episode an hour later netting 8.9 million and a 35% share.
Poor old EastEnders (BBC One, 8pm) just couldn’t compete, even if it did involve the return of a living legend. Dot Branning reared her weathered face once more and was immediately thrown in at the deep end.
8.8 million viewers watched as the chain smoking pensior walked in on canoodling cousins Lauren and Joey. The soap secured a 34% share and provided BBC One’s biggest draw of the day.
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.