TV Overnights: ITV’s Law & Order UK overshadows BBC One’s The White Queen

Once the showcase for broadcasters’ most shiny, colourful and broad offerings, this Saturday evening seemed more like an epic canvas full of schedule filler and the terminally bland.

You know when never-ending medical drama Casualty (BBC One, 9:10pm) was the most watched show of the day that something terribly dull has gone down.

The second episode of the twenty-eight series highlighted the serious affliction known as hoarding and the dangers it can have on one’s health.

4.3 million viewers tuned in for another slice of Holby’s stupidest residents wasting NHS time, securing a 23% share.

Earlier on in the day, BBC One offered up muppets of another kind to a family tea time audience with the first episode of felt-covered celebrity ego massage, That Puppet Game Show (6:45pm). Basically a new way for the BBC to further promote the presence of Jonathon Ross, the Jim Henson Company-backed show somehow failed to set the evening alight.

A paltry 2.5 million viewers tuned in to see the celebrities get involved in backstage chaos while not playing the game show for charity.

So basically The Muppet Show but without, you know, actual characters people know and love. And with added Jonathon Ross. The highly promoted new show only managed a 16% audience share.

ITV’s biggest hit of the day came in the form of a gawky bespectacled teenager. Starting 15 minutes after BBC One’s furry travesty, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (7pm) stole away any increasingly irritated puppet viewers and managed to capture an audience of 4.1 million viewers and a 23% share over its 2.5 hour running time.

Thankfully, Sunday’s viewing delights were much more exciting (relatively speaking, that is). Countryfile – kind of like the Casualty of Sunday nights – soared above the competition to deliver the entertainment weekend viewers so desperately craved.

5.3 million viewers tuned in to see John Craven womble around Northumberland for a bit, pointing at trees, clouds and the like. Bizarrely, this was by far the biggest audience over the two days meaning the holiday season must be in full swing. The earthy rural magazine show bagged a 4% audience share.

Straight up afterwards was the penultimate episode of the theatrical retelling of history, The White Queen (BBC One, 9pm).

While the buzz may have died down in recent weeks – with fans possibly flocking to iPlayer instead –  3.2 million viewers still tuned in for the political wrangling and rumpy pumpy by candlelight, securing a 14% share.

At the same time ITV offered up a more sobering end to the week as Law & Order: UK (9pm) opened up with the corpse of a little old lady.

The fifth episode in the current series was watched by an 18% audience share with 4 million viewers tuning in to see if the well dodgy granddaughter did it. This was the most watched show it the 9pm slot last night.

Proceedings were even more sombre on Channel 4 as the third episode of Southcliffe (9pm) gave viewers the fun chance to end their week by watching parents dramatically mourn their dead children. The drama, dealing with the aftermath of a shooting spree, brought in a 5% share and depressed the hell out of 1.1 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.