4.3m tune in for BBC One’s Mancunian Noah on The Ark
Last night saw BBC One offer up a loose and easy retelling of one of the Bible’s greatest hits as EastEnders writing legend Tony Jordon added a little sprinkle of northern soul to the well-worn tale of Noah and The Ark (9pm).
On the barmy reinterpretation stakes it wasn’t quite up there with Russell Crowe’s recent crazier-than-a-bag-of-cats CGI-fest that was 2014’s Noah, but Jordan’s fresh look at the religious irrigation adventure did take certain liberties in an effort to stay relevant.
Starring David Threlfall (Shameless‘ Frank Gallagher) as the Mesopotamian patriarch Noah who had to convince his family that listening to the voices in his head was actually a good idea, the buzzkill was joined on screen by Joanne Whalley as his doting strumpet wife Emmie.
An audience of 4.3 million tuned in to see Noah’s mad-for-it modern Mancunian-accented family survive a rainy day or two, netting a 19% share and winning the 9pm slot for BBC One.
Another apocalyptic scenario was unfolding over on FOX as the brutal fifth series of increasingly traumatising The Walking Dead (9pm) came to a brutal end.
After keeping the long-suffering cast of survivors on the road for a series and a half, recent episodes have seen the troubled gang of zombie killers find sanctuary in a picturesque safe zone, allowing for a long overdue clean-up for Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.
So damaged by their time on the road, last night’s heart-breaking finale saw Rick and his haunted team essentially become the bad guys, leading to the show topping the TV Twitter chart with 37 tweets for every 1,000 viewers.
Despite the show continuously breaking cable ratings records in the States, just 625,000 viewers and a 3% share tuned in for The Walking Dead‘s latest grippingly nihilistic series finale.
Also too far gone and focusing purely on survival were Britain’s Benefits Tenants (9pm) on the third and final part of Channel 4’s latest divisive and welfare-obsessed fayre. The documentary about the private housing market getting caught up in the social housing crisis netted 1.6 million viewers and a 7% share.
Meanwhile BBC Two was focusing on a very different aspect of British life with the indulgent and sickly sweet Kew on a Plate (9pm). 1.6 million viewers and a 7% share tuned in to see Kate Humble get all excited about the history of the tomato.
Over on ITV, a veteran broadcaster wrapped up his time with some dodgy characters on the second and final The Mafia with Trevor McDonald (9pm). After securing the 9pm slot with 4.3 million viewers last week, last night’s audience fell to 3.4 million viewers and a 16% share.
A little earlier at 8pm on ITV there were even More Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green as the one time chart topper continued to milk some more regional goodwill, resulting in 3 million viewers and a 14% share.
Monday’s soaps locked in the day’s top four spots, with Emmerdale (ITV, 7pm) bringing in 6.3 million viewers and a 33% share, while over on BBC One EastEnders was watched by 6.9 million and a 31% share.
There was some mixed fortune for Coronation Street over on ITV as Sarah Platt returned to reign in her wayward daughter. The first episode at 7:30pm brought in the day’s biggest audience of 7.5 million viewers and a 37% share but fell to 6.7 million an hour later at 8:30pm.
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.
To get all the latest Mediatel Newsline updates follow us on Twitter.