Sir Trevor and Corrie help ITV lead a quiet Monday night
As usual, Monday night brought a bevy of soap action to keep the teatime masses entertained but dropped the ball when it came to the prime slot with broadcasters seemingly taking a breather after a heavy weekend.
Just to highlight the obvious dose of collective laziness that spread throughout the broadcasters, BBC One’s big offering was a repeat of terminally ill cop show for old folks, New Tricks (9pm).
The final ever episode to feature the highly popular original cast (so I’m told) saw the UCOS team investigate the murder of a palaeontologist in the Natural History Museum and brought in a whopping 7.8 million viewers when it was originally broadcast back in August 2012.
Naturally, last night’s repeat didn’t come close to the initial airing, with just 2.9 million viewers tuning in to see Amanda Redman’s Sandra and James Bolam’s Jack jostle verbally for the final time.
While the twelfth and final series is due to air this summer, it must be a good omen for BBC One that a three-year-old episode still has the power to secure a 14% share, even if it was a slow night.
Speaking of slow nights, over on BBC Three former Draco Malfoy directed and presented a look into the terrifying world of unhinged and obsessive Harry Potter enthusiasts in Tom Felton Meets the Superfans (9pm).
An audience of 311,000 viewers watched as Super Nice Guy ™ Felton engaged in some awkward and intimate conversations with the mentally fragile Potter-mad, resulting in a 2% share.
Over on ITV, 75-year-old semi-retiree and noticeable well-spoken Trevor McDonald was busy nailing the 9pm slot by hanging out with rough and dangerous New York types.
The Mafia with Trevor McDonald followed in the footsteps of 2013’s trip to death row in Indiana, with the first of two episodes seeing Sir Trevor disarm men who turned their back on organised crime with his gentle demeanour, netting a surprising 4.3 million viewers and a 21% share.
Meanwhile, Raymond Blanc and Kate Humble were busy serving up more delicious Kew on a Plate (9pm). 1.6 million viewers watched as the dynamic pair delved into the world of carrots, as Raymond cooked them and Kate excitedly delved into the vegetable’s thrilling history, resulting in an 8% share.
On Channel 5, the not-Batman show that is Gotham continued as young whippersnapper police detective James Gordon considered growing a grey moustache, binging in 919,000 viewers and a 5% share.
Also depicting a grim urban dystopia was Channel 4 which brought viewers another soul destroying instalment of Britain’s Benefit Tenants at 9pm. The show, which looks at the debt private landlords are building up by dipping their toes into the overcrowded social housing market, was watched by 1.7 million viewers and an 8% share.
A little earlier, the broadcaster was busy uncovering yet more examples of a society crumbling at a moral level with the self-explanatory How to Buy a Meeting with a Minister: Channel 4 Dispatches (8pm) which secured 502,000 viewers and a 2% share.
Even earlier, Emmerdale got two hours of soap underway at 7pm, with 6.4 million viewers and a 33% share.
Over on BBC One, EastEnders (8pm) did a little better as happy normal family, the Beales, returned from their well-deserved sojourn in Cornwall with demonic cherub and sister-slaughtering Bobby in tow.
An audience of 6.9 million viewers watched as Jane and Ian actively decided to put all that nasty killer-in-the-house business behind them and deludedly looked forward to a calm, rewarding and peaceful future. The latest drama from Albert Square secured a 31% share for BBC One.
But it was ITV’s Coronation Street that nabbed Monday’s top two spots with two trips to Weatherfield. 7.5 million viewers tuned in at 7:30pm to see Gail bury her new husband’s fake/real son all before dealing with her age-appropriate granddaughter Bethany, resulting in a 36% share.
Later at 8:30pm, 7 million viewers returned for some more northern drama, resulting in 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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