Fourth series of Luther opens with lowest début yet
One of TV’s most popular haunted detectives (of which there are many) returned to BBC One last night as Idris Elba was back for an extremely short fourth run for London’s top shelf moody copper, Luther (9pm).
As incredibly daft as it is popular, the first of two episodes reintroduced viewers to Elba’s ex-cop John Luther, now living in an isolated cliff-top cabin in Broadchurch and upping the ‘troubled’ factor by 200%, as he was dragged back into action by the arrival of London’s latest OTT serial killer (this wrong’un likes munching on his victims).
Like Sherlock before it, the show aims to rise above its many, many contemporaries by betting on a dash of ‘star quality’ in its favour.
Now a bonafide Hollywood star, Elba’s busy schedule (Star Trek Beyond, Marvel’s Thor trilogy) ensured that Luther was only ever going to return for a very limited run.
The first series consisted of six episodes and kicked off with 5.6 million viewers in May 2010, following with just four episodes in June 2011, which debuted with another 5.6 million.
By the time the ‘psychological’ (LOL) crime show returned in July 2011 for another four episodes the opening episode’s audience fell to 5 million viewers, although appetite for Luther‘s brand of gory heavy-handed silliness remained strong.
It wasn’t long before Elba was back to doing what he does best, sauntering around the dark wet corners of London like the cool kid in the playground, whose charisma and entire emotional range seems to be confined to a raised eyebrow combined with some Maxim-photo-shoot-levels of moody squinting.
Last night brought in just 4.9 million viewers, the show’s lowest-ever début audience, although this was enough to secure the 9pm slot with a 23% share and top the TV Twitter chart.
There was crime of a very different kind over on ITV, who had one of those ‘why bother?’ nights off. If the commercial broadcaster was going to lazily fill up the prime time schedule with another two hours of Midsomer Murders, at least it was a good one.
An audience of 2.1 million viewers tuned in once again to see struggling guest corpse Martine McStreeturchin get killed by a GIANT ROUND OF CHEESE.
The episode, which clearly never gets mouldy for ITV schedulers, secured a 10% share.
On BBC Two, super exciting historical diet show Back in Time for Christmas (9pm) wrapped up with 2.3 million viewers and an 11% share while Channel 4’s hard-to-stomach The World’s Most Expensive Christmas (9pm) brought in 2.1 million viewers and a 9% share.
Meanwhile Channel 5 offered up another chance to Meet the Psychopaths (9pm) which, at least, wasn’t a Christmas-themed episode and brought in 750,000 viewers and a 3% share.
At 8pm on BBC One, Holby City netted 4.3 million viewers and a 20% share while MasterChef: The Professionals (8:15pm) was watched by 3.2 million viewers and a 15% share on BBC Two.
Meanwhile in the realm of complete and utter fantasy the third and final Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas (Channel 4, 8pm) delved back into the realm of unrealistic expectations with the presenter’s workmanlike presence securing 1.4 million viewers and a 7% share.
Earlier in soap land, Emmerdale (ITV, 7pm) secured 5.8 million viewers and a 29% share while EastEnders (BBC One, 7:30pm) won the day’s top spot with 6.4 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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