BBC Election Debate 2015 gets TV viewers tweeting
Thursday night saw BBC One and David Dimbleby assemble (most) of the country’s political leaders for 90 minutes of all-star spin, deflection and outright untruths that resulted in the BBC Election Debate 2015 (8pm).
Featuring representatives from the Green Party, UKIP, Labour, SNP and good old Plaid Cymru, the defensive chit chats naturally got the viewing nation talking and managed to top the TV Twitter chart with 144 tweets for every 1,000 viewers.
An average audience of 4.3 million viewers stayed tuned for the whole shebang, which saw the sisterhood of female leaders close ranks on the still-trying-bless-him Ed Miliband and walking PR stunt gone wrong Nigel Farage.
The debate brought in a 21% share and remained far ahead of its rivals in the same timeslot.
Straight up afterwards on the same channel was BBC Election Debate 2015: The Reaction (BBC One, 9:30pm), kind of like Big Brother’s Bit On The Side or The Apprentice: You’re Fired but with much less animated guests.
3.5 million viewers watched as Emily Maitlis got all the after show back stage feedback as the half hour show brought in a 17% share.
Over on ITV, the embarrassment continued as Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean continued to open their gigantic hearts to everyday youthful norms in the middle instalment of still-sounds-made-up Ice Rink on the Estate (9pm).
Opening up with 1.4 million viewers last week, the second episode saw the talented ice-traversers continue to train up the less fabulous and managed to mirror the first week’s ‘success’.
1.3 million viewers tuned in for a taste of giving back to the community through the power of pirouettes, resulting in a 6% share.
Meanwhile on Channel 4, ye olde Aussie incarceration drama Banished (9pm) came to an end, culminating with a few more hangings for good measure. The harsh period drama from Jimmy McGovern debuted with an impressive audience of 3.4 million viewers and told the tale of the first British penal colony to set up camp down under.
2 million viewers tuned in to see one of the weird male doctors from Green Wing who wasn’t Stephen Mangan face death once more, resulting in a 10% share.
On Channel 4, The Island with Bear Grylls (9pm) continued to steadily climb as word spreads about the show, with last night’s trip to the female island delivering plenty of drama.
With the team fracturing under the stress of surviving and contestants dropping down from dehydration, the second female-centric episode saw the group get themselves into further trouble by splitting up and getting lost.
2.3 million viewers watched as emergency medics were called in to save the day, resulting in a 11% share.
Earlier in the day, a double dollop of Emmerdale (ITV) goodness secured 5.2 million viewers and 5 million viewers at 7pm and 8pm respectively, while EastEnders took the day’s top spot on BBC One with 6.2 million viewers and a 33% 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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