Period drama Grantchester draws to an end with 4.6m on ITV
Monday night saw BBC One kick off a week of Children in Need with the culmination of this year’s charity single, all thanks to that man-child choir master Gareth Malone, a random collection of available BBC employees celebrities and one or two children who could actually sing.
The second part of Gareth’s All Star Choir (BBC One, 9pm) saw the practising come to an end as the obviously unenthused famous faces and random children were dragged along to Abbey Road to record their version of Avicii’s Wake Me Up.
While managing to turn an electronic dance track in to a tepid and painfully amateurish experience is an accomplishment in itself, the simple lack of vocal talent and gusto was adamant in the execution.
But BBC One’s prime time offering was all in the name of charity and in that respect Gareth’s army of well-intentioned but pretty awful vocalists succeeded.
Yesterday’s audience actually improved on last week’s by 100,000 viewers, with a total of 3.9 million people tuning in last night to see the choir complete their ‘journey’, resulting in a 17% share.
But it was one of the many crime dramas on at the same time that secured the time slot’s biggest audience with the final episode of Grantchester (ITV, 9pm) proving too hard to resist.
The picture postcard 1950s-set crime drama opened up with 5.2 million viewers at the start of October and features a tortured (but crucially dishy) vicar and a Gruff Geordie cop called Geordie, his partner in bromance and crime-solving.
While the show didn’t take off in the huge way the broadcaster was no doubt hoping for, audience figures have been pretty solid for the smart-looking and undemanding show.
Last night saw Sidney the crime-solving vicar hunt down a cop killer that put his unsanctioned partner in hospital while the consequences of the last five episodes left his personal life in ruins.
Last night’s finale mystery secured an audience of 4.6 million viewers, representing a -12% drop compared to the first episode, and brought in a 21% share to ITV.
Meanwhile, the real life drama of 24 Hours in Police Custody (9pm) continued over on Channel 4 as the harried law keepers of lawless Luton had more grim problems to sift through.
An audience of 1.7 million viewers tuned in to see if the accusations that a father attacked his daughter with an iron led anywhere, with the investigation from the honour-based violence unit netting an 8% share.
On BBC Two, John Simm’s American supernatural crime import, Intruders (9pm) continued with 449,000 viewers and a 2% share, while the pre-Batman city of Gotham (9pm) saw little Bruce Wayne show interest in the family business, securing 1.4 million viewers and a 6% share.
Earlier in the day Emmerdale was watched by 6.8 million viewers and a 33% share at 7pm on ITV, while BBC One’s EastEnders (8pm) landed in third place with 7.2 million viewers and a 32% share.
A double helping of Weatherfield woe secured the top two spots as Coronation Street (ITV) welcomed Peter Barlow, the man with more lives than a Time Lord’s cat, back to the cobbles.
8.2 million viewers (a 38% share) caught up with the ex-jailbird at 7:30pm, as Peter had a series of awkward encounters with residents, due to the fact they all happened to go to the same pub on a Monday night.
The audience fell to 7.8 million viewers an hour later as Peter attempted to woo back Carla, netting a 34% share.
Bridging the way to the 9pm slot was Panorama: The Girl That Vanished (BBC One) at 8:30pm, bringing in 2.2 million viewers, while Countrywise (8pm) on ITV netted 3.3 million and interactive quiz How Rich Are You? secured 1.2 million at 8pm on Channel 4.
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. Overnight data supplied by TRP are based on 15 minute slot averages. This may differ from tape checked figures, which are based on a programme’s actual start and end time.
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