TV Overnights: 6.1 million viewers watch Lord Sugar opt for cosmetic surgery to get his woman
If you didn’t think the ninth series of Lord Sugar’s bloated interview process was dragged out long enough already then you’ll be happy to know that last night’s finale was a feature-length tale of nerves, confidence and the inevitable tears.
Refreshingly, the past few series of The Apprentice (BBC One, 8pm) have dropped the excruciating charade that Amstrad is a company that the high level professionals would actually want to work for, instead opting for a big fat cash injection.
BBC One’s main event on Wednesday night saw self-assured nightmares Leah and Luisa vow for the business affections of the overlord of defunct computer software.
The last episode of the series rewarded patient viewers by challenging the final two contestants with a task that was actually somewhat relevant – launching the product they’ve been banging on about all this time.
BBC One’s two hour affair with all things Alan Michael Sugar consisted of the episode in which the proposition of cosmetic surgery won over the humble cupcake venture followed by an hour of You’re Hired (9pm) with Dara O Briain.
The final episode was watched by 6.1 million viewers and a 30% share – consistent with this year’s audience. The dissection show in which Dara was helped out by a face we all associate with business, Lorraine Kelly (?!), pulled in 5.3 million viewers and a 25% share. Bundled together, the grand finale captured an average of 5.7 million viewers.
ITV’s double whammy of late evening fun came in the shape of two factual shows which managed to hold their own against His Sugarness’ lady dilemma. First up at 8 o’clock was easy on the brain documentary The Zoo.
The Zoo is filmed in a Zoo and follows around the staff of a Zoo while they do their jobs. As prime time concepts go, it’s in no danger of scaring away the more cerebrally challenged punters out there. 3.5 million viewers caught up with the latest bout of sh– straw shovelling, picking up a 17% share.
The animal theme continued on ITV through the 9pm slot as the lovechild of Adrian Chiles and…well, Adrian Chiles – Ray Mears – rolled around the dirt for a bit as he chased down some crocodiles. The outdoor adventurer (he likes woods, naturally made fires and all God’s critters) returned for the first of two episodes in Ray Mears’ Close Encounters.
2.4 million viewers watched as the international man of danger (and khaki shorts) travelled to Australia’s Northern Territory to cuddle some saltwater tetrapods, securing a 12% share.
The commercial broadcaster had Wednesday’s soap offering cornered, with not a cockney accent in sight. Emmerdale packed in 5.5 million viewers and a 34% share at 7pm with a solo visit to Weatherfield following straight afterwards.
The midweek helping of Northern sass saw Eileen being dragged into Paul’s pariah status due to his recent racist comments. Thankfully, classic double act Hayley and Roy were on hand to provide some light relief as Hayley tried to keep her terminal cancel a secret from her husband…oh.
Demonstrating that even television’s top idols can have a bad day, even Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) proved powerless against the sun. A surprisingly small audience of 6.4 million viewers watched Hayley venture into her final storyline, bringing in a 36% share. Fret not though – the nation’s favourite soap was still the biggest hit of the day.
Due to the lack of excitement surrounding the soaps and prime time offerings, three of BBC One’s trusty news programmes crept into the bottom end of the top six shows of the whole day. BBC News at Six was watched by 3.6 million, with Regional News and Weather straight afterwards pulling in 4.3. In the end, the top news top of the day was BBC News at Ten which managed an audience of 4.6 million viewers and the fourth overall spot 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.