TV Overnights: Murder mysteries rule the night as Mayday secures 4.4m for BBC One
For another consecutive night, murder, mayhem and ghostly malevolence ran rampant through the prime time slot as the main broadcasters offered up their entertaining and unique takes on the more horrible aspects of life.
On BBC One, Mayday (9pm) ramped up the tense claustrophobia of small town anxiety. The penultimate episode of the drama all about the disappearance of a local girl, saw characters crack under the strain of looking confused, angry and distant for an entire five hour run.
The cast have faced an epic task of giving each other dagger eyes and divulging heavy amounts of plot-advancing dialogue, through the medium of hushed conspiratorial whispers. As the marathon draws to a close, will dedicated viewers get the satisfying ending they deserve?
Despite netting over 6 million viewers on Sunday, the drama has settled into an average audience of 4.4 million viewers over the following nights, with Wednesday being no exception. The second to last portion of suspicion brought a 19%, resulting in the biggest audience in the 9pm slot.
Which meant ITV’s similar offering didn’t fare as well. The second episode of time period-spanning drama Lightfields (9pm) delved into the familiar mystery territory but added aspects of the supernatural.
The second visit to the troubled property (that really sounds like a dodgy c-list celebrity rehab), advanced the drama in throughout the 40s and 70s, with everyone’s favourite flogger of BT products, Kris Marshall, representing the modern day segment.
The complex plot may have proved a bit much for casual viewers with the audience down by 30% week on week. 2.5 million viewers tuned in to spot the connections between a fatal accident in the 40s to a spectre-seeing child in 2012, resulting in a 11% share.
But none of those two options could have prepared viewers for the horror show over on Channel 4 at the same time. Saving the most terrifying scenes for last, the latest episode of One Born Every Minute (9pm) dealt with the usual trials, tribulations and ripped vaginal ruptures. Women screamed, men looked traumatised and 1.9 million viewers lapped it all up, resulting in an 8% share.
Luckily for viewers, the entire evening was all missing bodies and spooky spectres. Earlier on ITV was the second episode of exciting culinary show Food Glorious Food (8pm) which had a truck load of artificial niceness shipped in at low costs from somewhere overseas. Probably from the same factory that produced host Carol Vorderman’s warm and welcoming personality.
Nothing personal against the presenter, it’s just that little about this show makes much sense. Designed to rally national pride in these dark damp months (and to reap in cross-promotional revenue while they’re at it), the show assumes that viewers can’t tell the difference between genuine niceness and grinning manically.
Last night saw privileged toff Tom Parker Bowles (he’s connected to food somehow?) push his enthusiasm to uncomfortably hysteric levels after tasting a nice, elderly lady’s fresh pasty. With some scary marketing lady from M&S constantly looking over the judge’s shoulders, grumbling about customers, ever changing demand and expensive ingredients, there were constant reminders that the large retailer had no influence over the winning dish. No, they were just paying for everything because they’re nice.
The second episode saw audiences fall by 8%, with a total of 2.4 million viewers hanging on to the edge of their seats to see if the curry would defeat the pastry. Wednesday’s trip to digitally tinted Devon secured an 11% share.
As usual, it was the early evening soap action that tweaked the UK’s interest with Emmerdale (ITV) kicking things off at 7pm, with 6.9 million viewers catching up with the latest cow-tipping action.
Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) followed, as Karl carried the burden of being branded a kidnapper by his ex-partner Stella. Claiming he just took her to a romantic spot to chat, the regulars at the Rovers were less than impressed. All a matter of perspective, really.
8 million viewers and a 36% share watched as Karl learned that forcibly transporting someone when they’re constantly screaming for you to ‘let them go’ is a bad thing.
Over on BBC One at 8pm was an extra edition of EastEnders. 7 million viewers (a 31% share) tuned in to see Lola’s genius escape plan run into a bit of a problem at the first hurdle. Realising she might actual need money to feed, clothe and house herself and her baby, it even occurred to Lola that she may be a bit of an idiot.
10pm on BBC Four saw the launch of critically lauded American import Parks and Recreation. Originally planned as an official spin-off from The Office: An American Workplace, names and locations were changed at last minute to avoid costly rights issues and secured that the production company held onto most of the profits.
The comedy, set in the planning office of a small Indiana town, stars Amy Poehler (former wife of GOB) as an enthusiastic mid-level bureaucrat and pulled in 371,000 thousand viewers last night and a 2% 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.