The bank holiday weekend came crashing to a close with a cacophony of soap operas, competitive reality shows and a police procedural with a twist.
At 9pm ITV launched a new two-part police drama that explored the development of identifying DNA ‘fingerprints’ to help solve murder cases. Set in 1984, Code of a Killer saw John Simm suit up in some lab gear to portray a pioneering boffin, while David Threlfall provided some support in the form of a battered and weary detective.
A little over 5 million viewers tuned in to see Threlfall desperately try to solve the murder of two teenage girls with Simm’s forensic wizardry, securing a 24% share and the biggest audience in the 9pm slot.
Over on BBC One, the latest indistinguishable version of MasterChef (8:30pm) continued with 4.4 million viewers and a 19% share and somehow was the most talked about TV show on Twitter yesterday.
Afterwards, a repeat of the first ever Mrs Brown’s Boys (9:30pm) netted 3.4 million viewers and a 16% share.
At the same time, Channel 4 was busy cracking out originality by the bucket load with My Big Fat Gypsy Grand National (9pm). Following the original concept closer, this edition provided a twist by forcing the ‘characters’ to attend various horse race meetings for no good reason whatsoever, with the spectacle netting 1.4 million viewers and a 6% share regardless.
Afterwards the adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s Raised by Wolves (10pm) continued to trundle along with 644,000 viewers and a 6% share.
On BBC Two, the latest Kew on a Plate (9:30pm) brought in over 1 million viewers while the Rufus Hound-fronted The Wedding Video (10:30pm), a disaster film for all the wrong reasons, was watched by 438,000 brave souls.
Earlier, the glut of soap operas secured Monday’s top four spots, kicking off with Emmerdale at 7pm on ITV which was watched by 5.4 million viewers and a 29% share.
Over on BBC One, 6.5 million viewers tuned in to see the Carter’s latest woes on EastEnders (8pm), resulting in the channel’s biggest hit of the day with a 29% share.
The first episode of Coronation Street (ITV) bagged 6.9 million viewers and a 34% share. Unusually, the second episode at 8:30pm actually bettered the earlier offering, with the reveal of Faye’s pregnancy bringing in 7 million viewers and a 30% 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.
To get all the latest Mediatel Newsline updates follow us on Twitter.
