TV Overnights: BBC One beats the heat with help from Luther’s shocking twist and EastEnders’ desperate love search
Going against the balmy weather that shrouded the capital, Tuesday night saw BBC One offering viewers a grimmer, colder, green-tinted version of London as the third series of Luther continued.
Last night saw the latest serial killer in Luther give the innocent ladies of London a well-deserved break as – refreshingly – dodgy criminals were on the receiving end of some random violence instead.
Fans of Luther’s brand of near-comic violence and ghastly murders weren’t really affected by the heat as the audience only fell by a small amount week on week. 4.4 million viewers – down from 4.7 million – tuned in for the brooding juggernaut’s latest hunt which ended in a very surprising and sudden exit for a main character.
The shocking turn of events (even in Luther‘s universe) pulled a 21% share – with little competition to speak of, BBC One easily walked away with the 9pm slot.
Which was bad news for Official Northern person Robson Green over on ITV. The actor continued his eye opening odyssey across the Northern Kingdom – pointing at buildings, generally lording about the place and speaking with the gravitas of a man who single-handily put together the north himself.
The second part of Robson Green: How the North Was Built (ITV, 9pm) fell by 400,000 viewers from last Tuesday but still managed to wrangle in an audience of 1.8 million and a 9% share.
If you jumped over to Channel 4 during this time you would be forgiven for thinking the beheaded ghostly apparitions of Princess Diana’s dresses floating about was brought on by the heat. But fear not, Princess Diana’s Dresses: The Auction (9pm) was a documentary exploring the flogging on the late royal’s frock and attracted the interest of 1.9 million viewers. As well as pulling in a 9% share, the show secured Channel 4’s biggest audience of the day.
Earlier, Holby City brought in a strong audience for BBC one in the 8pm slot, overshadowing rival channels’ offerings. The latest crisis in the UK’s most unprofessional hospital was watched by 4.2 million viewers and a 23% share.
An hour before that Emmerdale kicked off an hour of soapy goodness that proved to be the most popular time of the day. 7pm on ITV saw Laurel get her Batman game face on as she tracked down her carjacker to his home – all with the intention of dangling him over the rooftop of Emmerdale‘s highest building, maybe.
5.4 million viewers watched as the vigilante crusader’s plans hit a hitch when a little old lady answered the door. The latest visit to the tranquil, picturesque, crime-ridden village pulled in a 33% share making it the second most popular show of the day.
Things were getting desperate for the ladies of Albert Square as it seemed nearly every one of them had signed up for a bout of speed dating in EastEnders (BBC One, 7:30pm) last night. In a scene that personified the very definition of scraping the barrel, Kat, Jean and even Shirley were sniffing around the men of Walford all in the hope of finding a rare truffle.
The London soap brought in Tuesday’s biggest audience, with 5.7 million viewers wondering how there’s anyone left in E20 who hasn’t been seriously traumatised by a past relationship. The ever hopeful lasses helped BBC One secure a 32% 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.