Fresh faces, same formula – New Tricks nets 7.1m viewers
Last night BBC One hesitantly entered a brand new era with its long-running triumph New Tricks (9pm), as yet another familiar face disappeared from the successful line up.
Kind of like CSI for the hard of hearing, the tenth series has continued to be a ratings hit for the channel despite the fact that the original cast have been dropping like flies due to behind the scenes hissy fits.
In place of old dog Amanda Redman was fresh faced Taszin Outhwaite, who joined the likes of fellow newbie Nicholas Lyndhurst and original sleuth Dennis Waterman. The new roster of retrospective detectives wasted no time in throwing themselves head first into yet another standard mental storyline involving allotment rage, an unexploded WWII bomb and a druid for good measure.
7.1 million viewers tuned in to see the new head of UCOS make her mark, resulting in the biggest 9pm audience and a 32% share. Whether viewers will remain loyal remains to be seen but the recent cast cull seems to have kept fans interested in the developing characters rather than alienating them.
At the same time, ITV spent an hour in the company of walking cautionary tale Paul Gascoigne in an uncomfortably honest documentary. Being Paul Gascoigne (9pm) followed the former footballing legend through his roller-coaster highs and lows and might have proved a bit too much for Tuesday’s weary audience.
1.8 million viewers tuned in for the peak into the worst case celebrity scenario, securing an 8 % share for ITV.
Having exhausted the Big Fat Gypsy format to within an inch of its life, Channel 4 decided to bring the one-trick pony out for one last gallop in what some might consider an inspired mash up. Viewers may have been forgiven for thinking last night brought the ultimate fashion apocalypse to our screens but that was exactly the point of My Big Fat Gypsy Ladies’ Day (9pm).
A few years back the show pulled in over 7 million viewers for the channel but in that time the general viewing public seem to have come to their senses. Last night’s tale of gaudy equine adventures brought in Channel 4’s biggest audience of the day with 1.7 million viewers and an 8% share.
At the same time BBC Two launched a hour of comedy featuring two brand new series. First off was The Wrong Mans (9pm), starring the UK’s favourite professional fat person James Cordon. The comedy thriller attracted a healthy 3 million viewers and was followed by a new series of The Sarah Millican Television Programme (9:30pm) (she speaks with a Geordie accent – it’s hilarious) which garnered an audience of 1.7 million viewers.
The BBC channels also did well in the 8pm slot as the neverending drama that whiffs of disinfectant, Holby City (BBC One), was watched by 4.6 million viewers despite the tempting smell of Mary Berry and The Great British Bake Off over on BBC Two.
As the tense survivors reached the halfway point, Paul and Mary had their eyes fixed on the broken souls’ buns, as the picturesque white tent of terror served up a fiendishly hard challenge. 5.8 million viewers – the biggest 8pm audience – watched as Paul’s patience with sweet dough mishaps ran out, securing a 26% share.
With Coronation Street taking a well-deserved night off, it was left to the other two underrated soaps to duke it out for Tuesday’s top spot. It’s a pity then that the new look New Tricks beat them to it.
Emmerdale, at 7pm on ITV, saw the villages’ former happy spirit, Rhona, bring her days of self-medicated bliss to an end as she booked herself into rehab. 6.5 million viewers (a 35% share) braced themselves for lots of teary, snot filled performances over the next few weeks as the manufactured happiness leaves her system. Fun times.
Things were relatively cheery over on EastEnders (BBC One, 7:30pm) by comparison as Dexter contemplated saving his Dad’s life. Nothing a wander around the Square, gathering advice from the assortment of wise and learned characters on offer, won’t solve.
6.6 million viewers watched as the mechanic properly milked the kidney donation situation, capturing the day’s second biggest audience and a share of 33%.
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.