BBC One’s new big budget fantasy drama, Atlantis, which hoped to fill the void left by Merlin, got off to a flying start this month.
Featuring a cast that included Game of Thrones’ Mark Addy and Bend It Like Beckham star Juliet Stevenson, 7.4 million viewers watched the début episode in which hero Jason was washed up on to the mysterious island.
The rise and rise of The Great British Bake Off continued this month with the ‘Sweet Dough’ episode grabbing the highest ratings of the series so far.
Unfortunately for Howard, his combo of date and hemp tea loaf and peachy buns german baumschnecken (whatever that is) wasn’t good enough to impress the judges, as 7.3 million found out while watching him depart the competition on 24th September.
England’s slow and steady progress towards next year’s World Cup in Brazil gave ITV some good ratings in September. Kicking off at Wembley, the World Cup Qualifier: England vs Moldova saw the three lions comfortably beat the former Soviet state 4-0 in front of 5.3 million viewers.
Four days later World Cup Qualifier: Ukraine vs England pulled in just under 6.2 million for the goalless draw at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
When Holly Willoughby is not being mocked on Celebrity Juice by one trick pony Keith Lemon, she finds time to do a half decent Cilla Black impression. Well, sort of.
The return of the updated Surprise Surprise was something of a success for the UK’s biggest commercial channel, with 5.3 million people watching the opening episode of the latest series. Here’s to hoping this strong rating doesn’t prompt the BBC to revive Hearts of Gold.
Retaining the top spot is ITV’s period drama Downton Abbey, with 11.6 million watching the second episode of the fourth series. Elsewhere Doc Martin, Vera, New Tricks and What Remains pulled in solid ratings with figures of 9 million, 6.2 million, 8.7 million and 5.5 million, respectively.
Top Programmes (excluding soaps):
| Sorting | Programme | On Air Date | Genre | Station | Start / End | Viewers (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DOWNTON ABBEY | Sunday 29 September 2013 | Drama | ITV | 21:02-22:03 | 11.55 |
| 2 | THE X FACTOR | Sunday 22 September 2013 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 19:58-20:58 | 10.62 |
| 3 | STRICTLY COME DANCING | Saturday 28 September 2013 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 18:59-20:27 | 10.53 |
| 4 | DOC MARTIN | Monday 2 September 2013 | Drama | ITV | 21:00-21:59 | 9.04 |
| 5 | NEW TRICKS | Tuesday 3 September 2013 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 8.65 |
| 6 | ATLANTIS | Saturday 28 September 2013 | Drama | BBC1 | 20:28-21:13 | 7.36 |
| 7 | THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF | Tuesday 24 September 2013 | Factual | BBC2 | 20:00-20:59 | 7.32 |
| 8 | COUNTRYFILE | Sunday 29 September 2013 | Factual | BBC1 | 18:59-19:58 | 6.40 |
| 9 | VERA | Sunday 1 September 2013 | Drama | ITV | 21:03-22:53 | 6.21 |
| 10 | WORLD CUP QUALIFIER: UKRAINE V ENGLAND | Tuesday 10 September 2013 | Sport | ITV | 19:14-22:09 | 6.19 |
| 11 | ANTIQUES ROADSHOW | Sunday 29 September 2013 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:00-20:59 | 5.81 |
| 12 | CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF | Wednesday 4 September 2013 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:00-20:58 | 5.72 |
| 13 | WHAT REMAINS | Sunday 15 September 2013 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 5.47 |
| 14 | WORLD CUP QUALIFIER: ENGLAND V MOLDOVA | Friday 6 September 2013 | Sport | ITV | 19:29-22:09 | 5.33 |
| 15 | SURPRISE SURPRISE | Sunday 15 September 2013 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 18:59-19:54 | 5.28 |
| 16 | WHITECHAPEL | Wednesday 4 September 2013 | Drama | ITV | 21:03-22:01 | 5.09 |
| 17 | TEN O’CLOCK NEWS | Tuesday 24 September 2013 | News | BBC1 | 22:00-22:28 | 4.90 |
| 18 | THROUGH THE KEYHOLE | Saturday 7 September 2013 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 21:04-22:01 | 4.84 |
| 19 | THE ONE SHOW | Tuesday 10 September 2013 | Factual | BBC1 | 18:58-19:27 | 4.82 |
| 20 | BBC NEWS | Sunday 1 September 2013 | News | BBC1 | 18:35-18:51 | 4.66 |
Sky vs Freeview (share):
| Sky | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 20.45 | 25.43 | 4.98 |
| BBC2 | 5.00 | 7.08 | 2.08 |
| ITV 1 | 11.10 | 15.15 | 4.05 |
| Channel 4 | 4.13 | 5.15 | 1.03 |
| Channel 5 | 4.45 | 4.93 | 0.48 |
| Others | 54.93 | 42.28 | -12.65 |
Sky vs Cable Digital (share):
| Sky | Cable Digital | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 20.45 | 20.53 | 0.08 |
| BBC2 | 5.00 | 5.20 | 0.20 |
| ITV 1 | 11.10 | 12.90 | 1.80 |
| Channel 4 | 4.13 | 5.08 | 0.95 |
| Channel 5 | 4.45 | 4.93 | 0.48 |
| Others | 54.93 | 51.40 | -3.53 |
Cable Digital vs Freeview (share):
| Cable Digital | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 20.53 | 25.43 | 4.90 |
| BBC2 | 5.20 | 7.08 | 1.88 |
| ITV 1 | 12.90 | 15.15 | 2.25 |
| Channel 4 | 5.08 | 5.15 | 0.08 |
| Channel 5 | 4.93 | 4.93 | n/a |
| Others | 51.40 | 42.28 | -9.13 |
