One week on and Broadchurch struggles to beat Silent Witness
After last week’s big plot revelations, Monday night brought the second episode of the highly anticipated second series of Broadchurch (ITV, 9pm) – and it seems some viewers are struggling with the new direction the Nordic-noir inspired drama was forced to take.
With creator and writer Chris Chibnall insisting that the show would not return as yet another procedural police case, the once slow-burning murder mystery has morphed into a hybrid of an unhinged legal soap opera crossed with the ongoing emotional torture that is Ellie Miller’s (Olivia Coleman) life.
Sucker punching viewers with the the fact that Danny Latimer’s killer might actually walk free might have been too much for some, as the second episode confirmed that, yes, the second series would definitely be walking down the legal route while shoehorning in an ill-fitting subplot about Alec Hardy’s (David Tennant) old case.
As a result, last night’s trip to Dorset’s most troubled town witnessed a significant audience drop, week on week. Compared to last week’s series two opener the show was down a massive 23%. After sucking in 7.3 million viewers into its vortex of continuing pain and injustice, yesterday saw 5.6 million viewers tune in to delve further into the new mystery.
While a 22% share meant that the beautifully shot regional detective show secured the 9pm slot it was only by a hair’s breadth. When an episode of one of the year’s most hyped TV experiences is almost defeated by one of BBC One’s long running procedurals, it might be time to worry at ITV towers.
Over on the other side, there was a brand new case for the smouldering forensic types on Silent Witness (BBC One, 9pm). The third episode of the eighteenth series saw Dr Nikki and her manservant Jack investigate a string of deaths on London’s tube.
The tale of a murderer on the underground managed to attract a 22% share, which resulted in 5.5 million viewers, meaning that Broadchurch was ahead by just 78,000 people.
Over on Channel 4, The Undateables (9pm) were once again hitting the streets in their glad rags. The latest mission for love brought in 1.6 million and a 7% share.
Meanwhile, close to the bottom of the barrel was Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother (9pm) which had to deal with the removal of yet another bothersome housemate.
A little under 2 million viewers watched as the other incarcerated souls learnt that bastion of decency, Ken Morley, had been ejected from TV purgatory, resulting in the broadcaster’s biggest hit of the day and an 8% share. When Katie Hopkins becomes a beacon of level-headedness you know the world is in serious trouble.
Earlier on BBC One, Panorama looked at the local aftermath of the recent attacks in France at 8:30pm. After Paris: The Battle for British Islam featured disturbing footage of atrocities from around the world and was watched by 2.9 million viewers and a 13% share.
Even earlier, it was all kicking off in soap land with all three of the UK’s big players taking a bow.
Emmerdale got things underway at 7pm on ITV, featuring Cain Dingle’s 54th trip to hospital in the last five years. 6.5 million viewers caught up with the latest drama from The Dales, resulting in a 31% share.
Over on BBC One at 8pm, the Mitchell’s woes continued as Ben unwittingly signed over The Arches to Max Branning while poor old Ronnie couldn’t quite muster the strength to wake up from her coma.
The first sunny tastes of this week’s EastEnders secured BBC One’s biggest hit of the day with 7.5 million viewers and a 32% share.
Back on ITV, Coronation Street was building up to get 2015’s big set piece, which they decided to get out of the way early, with Monday night providing a double whammy of Weatherfield drama. Monday’s biggest audience tuned in at 7:30pm to see Tracey’s financial woes get very pshyical, resulting in an audience of 7.7 million viewers.
With EastEnders bagging second place, the other half of Coronation Street at 8:30pm fell to third position with 7.3 million viewers and a 31% share.
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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