TV Overnights: The adventures of young Endeavour Morse brings in 5.6m for ITV
Saturday night saw ITV take another victory in the on-going battle with the BBC, siccing their most vacuous and piercingly gaudy programmes on each other.
The so-annoying-it-physically-hurts double whammy of Jessie J and Inane Irish Bloke from Boyband seems to be doing The Voice UK (BBC One, 6:45pm) no harm at all. Although you have to worry when two of your judges (or coaches, whatever) make serial tool Will.i.am look positively humane by comparison.
The third episode (like the The X Factor with spinning chairs and an even more futile existence) went straight up against ITV’s new Saturday night juggernaut but still managed to hold onto 6.7 million viewers. An audience share of 27% watched as Jessie J and her simple friend Danny strutted about the place as if they had just cured cancer.
Equally indigestible was the audacious attitudes of the judges on the seventh series of Britain’s Got Talent over on ITV at 7pm. Yes, that’s right – for the next 57 weeks viewers will be treated to the company of Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Amanda Holden (for some reason) and super international talent-judger Alesha Dixon (seriously) as they sieve their way through frivolous nonsense with the seriousness of ushering in world peace.
9.2 million viewers fell for the solemn narrative, the constant display of extremely white teeth, pandering dialogue and flashing bright lights – a 37% audience share resulting in the weekend’s biggest hit.
Earlier in the evening Doctor Who (BBC One, 6pm) warmed up to notions of the upcoming 50th anniversary by thawing out 70’s villains the Ice Warriors. The 11th Doctor and new companion Clara helped the audience increase slightly week on week as 5.7 million viewers caught up with the submarine-set episode, bringing in a 27% share.
Now that Lewis has hung up his outside-the-box thinking cap for good and joined Inspector Morse in the vacuum-packed vaults of ITV3, Sunday night heralded the surprise return of Oxford’s original crime fighter albeit with a fresher face.
After a pilot was well received in January last year, ITV saw fit to commission a four part series of the Batman Begins-style rebirth of Morse. The first two-hour episode of Endeavour (ITV, 8pm) (the dodgy first name he managed to keep secret until the final episode in 2000) brought viewers back to 1965. In many ways it was a simpler time, but in most ways it was just like the dangerous Oxford viewers have come to know and love.
Last night fans of academic slaughter were treated to the deaths of -in order – a secretarial student, a doctor and a vicar. An average audience of 5.6 million viewers stayed tuned for the entire two hours running time of The Exciting Adventures of Young Morse. The 22% audience share helped secure the 8-10pm slot for ITV.
9pm on BBC One saw the third part of tough-going The Village, a drama commissioned on the sole desire to make recession-hit Britain look positively desirable. Last night’s fun was brought to you by the words conscription, tragedy and suffering.
The third episode of the gritty series saw the show reach halfway point and celebrated with such scenes as young Bert’s beloved horse being sent off to war and his favourite teacher go it trail for refusing to die in war.
5 million brave souls chose to spend the precious final hours of their weekend in the grey-drenched Derbyshire sorrow hole, securing a 20% share.
As usual though, it was BBC mega-hit Countryfile (BBC One, 7pm) that won viewers’ hearts and minds. This week’s exciting episode took our team of intrepid explorers to the wilderness of Suffolk as Matt Baker went on a boat and then talked about boats at length.
5.7 million viewers caught up with the agricultural extravaganza, capturing a 25% share. For pure randomness, a member of JLS appeared, pleading for help with his new farm from presenter Adam Henson. Next week: Rihanna brings her vintage snufters to Cheltenham Town Hall in a very special edition of Antiques Roadshow.
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.