TV Overnights: Murray’s victory pulls in a teatime peak of 10m viewers for BBC One
ITV’s usually reliable teatime soap Emmerdale was on the receiving end of a grand slam (correct sporting terminology, right?) as the tail end of Wimbledon 2013 (BBC One, 1:45pm) managed to grab the public’s interest.
The six hour coverage only managed an average audience of 4.4 million but interest surged in the latter hours as excited fans arrived home from work to witness the final thrilling moments of the big match of the day.
At 7pm BBC One’s audience hit nearly 10 million viewers as the Spanish player Fernando Verdasco was knocked out of the tournament by Britain’s great hope Andy Murray. The three and a half hour match frequently reached audience shares of over 45%.
There was probably no sign of feverish celebrations over at The London Studios as ITV’s share took a hit, but the last action from the Dales way still managed to capture a share of 25%. The midweek drama once again focused on the village’s unhealthiest relationship (quite a feat for that village) as the Maceys attempted to psych each other out.
The latest bout of teatime manipulation from Emmerdale was watched by a lower than usual 5.3 million viewers.
Soap land’s dominant dictator Coronation Street (8pm) had little to worry about as it went out half an hour later. 7.2 million viewers tuned in to see Norris and Emily settle down for an intimate meal, securing a 35% share.
While the soap did perform worse than usual, it had enough backing from viewers to take Wednesday’s number one spot.
Later in the 9pm slot, Lord Alan of Amstrad sent his army of sound-bite vomiting cronies to yet another unsuspecting market in order to make loadsamoney. This week the enterprising young things were asked to create a profitable business from scratch using £150 in under 48 hours. Just like a young Lord Sugar did in 1903…etc.
The Apprentice easily secured the 9pm slot for BBC One as 6.3 million viewers tuned in for the 10th episode of the series.
The final run of episodes always guarantees viewers the chance to see the candidates break down and cry as the stakes are raised higher, with last night’s festival of fractured egos pulling in a 27% share.
At the same time on Channel 4, it was fractured skulls that were on offer in 24 Hours in A&E (9pm). A variety of series featuring real life hospital traumas edited for entertainment has recently proved highly successful for the channel, with last night being no exception.
2 million viewers tuned in to witness a plethora of worried patients and families, bringing in an 8% share and the channel’s biggest audience of the day.
ITV offered up something a little more comforting as the series about a middle-aged renaissance, Love and Marriage, unfortunately featured little threat of main characters dying. The tale of suburban family strife played well with women, who made up 65% of the total audience of 3 million viewers (a 13% share).
In the 8pm slot, Paul O’ Grady’s latest canine love letter bared its teeth and growled in mock horror consumer show Your Money and Their Tricks (BBC One, 8pm), in which intrepid reporter Sian Williams discovered amusement park stalls are a bit of a rip off. Shockingly, the moral guardian of consumer affairs managed an audience of 4.7 million and a 23% share.
Me and My Guide Dog (ITV, 8pm), a documentary about the animals that change people’s lives, (Paul O’ Grady doesn’t need one himself, just yet) wasn’t far behind with 4.3 million viewers.
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.