Latest noirdic inspired murder show, Murder, nets 1.1m on BBC Two
Last night saw a brand new-three part thriller début on BBC Two, with Murder (9pm) bringing with it some noteworthy buzz due to its behind-the-camera credentials of (Danish TV phenomenon) The Killing director Birger Larsen.
While titles like Death in Paradise and Midsomer Murders might be a bit too high-concept for the general viewing public, the highbrow show’s rather simple moniker highlights the brutal starkness of the central concept, resulting in a mish mash of Silent Witness‘ trademark washed out bleakness and Alan Bennet’s cosy nattering-directly-to-camera-athon Talking Heads.
And while now, more than ever, the TV schedule’s arteries are clogged up with a multitude of similar killing shows (both of the nauseatingly light and breezy and painfully heavy-handed varieties), at least Murder tries something a little different.
Blame those scarily detailed podcasts, Netflix docs or those seminal Nordic shows that started it all but it seems the viewing public has grown an increasing appetite for bloody drama that feels a little too real.
Following a ‘one-off’ BAFTA-winning BBC Two film in August 2012, each individual instalment looks at the aftermath of a murder, with many characters talking the audience through their individual experiences in polarising pieces-to-camera, with last night telling a tale of a murdered man and his accused brother-in-law.
As usual, like every other critically acclaimed BBC Two drama, it was mostly ignored although it did improve on 2012’s original which netted an overnight figure of 965,000 viewers.
Last night saw 1.1 million viewers tune in to view a story that didn’t lead them by the hand, asking the audience to make up their own minds and netting a 5% share.
Over on BBC One, Professor Mary Beard was back wandering around ancient ruins while blasting off informative monologues for her latest historical adventures in prime time education.
Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed with Mary Beard managed to secure last night’s biggest 9pm audience, with 3.9 million viewers tuning in to see the Twitter-scorched academic guiding viewers through the highly expensive preservation project, resulting in a 20% share.
At the same time, ITV kicked off another series of overblown please-watch-celebrities-maybe-die adventure show Bear Grylls: Mission Survive (9pm) as another cast of familiar faces braved 12 days in the actual world.
Last year saw 2.9 million viewers tune in for the opening episode, wrapping up with a little over 3 million viewers for the sixth and final episode.
Yesterday’s fresh new adventure for Neil Morrissey, Michelle Collins and… eh, some others, was down -7% year on year, with 2.7 million viewers tuning in to see Bear once again pull his tired ‘make them drink their own piss’ party trick out of his sleeve, resulting in a 14% share.
Over on Channel 4, bizarre but entertaining mash up 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (9pm) secured 1.4 million viewers and a 7% share.
At the same time, Channel 5 treated its long-suffering viewers to a feature length moving picture Olympus Had Fallen, the crap first instalment to the even crapper sequel London Has Fallen (now showing in all standard multiplexes) with the unexplainable charisma vacuum that is Gerard Butler securing 1.3 million viewers and an 8% share.
Rubbing salt in the wounds of many bereft fans of sacrificed youth channel BBC Three was BBC Four’s Do We Really Need the Moon? (9pm) – a totally not hip but fascinating look how dependent we are on earth’s natural satellite. The deluge of facts and impressive visuals netted just 380,000 viewers and a 2% share.
8pm brought Room 101 to BBC One, along with 3.2 million viewers and a 15% share while Channel 4’s Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clarke (8pm) was watched by 1.7 million viewers and an 8% share.
Channel 5’s The Secret Life of the Family (8pm) netted 544,000 viewers and a 3% share, while BBC One’s Would I Lie to You? netted 3.1 million viewers and a 15% share at 8:30pm.
At the same time ITV launched a brand new reality show The Cruise which, you might have guessed, films normal people enjoying and working on a cruise. 4.1 million viewers and a 20% share watched.
There was double Emmerdale (ITV) goodness to be enjoyed earlier with the 7pm showing netting 5.6 million and a 30% share, falling to 5.5 million viewers and a 27% share at 8pm.
However, BBC One’s EastEnders took the top spot with another awkward Carter family dinner bringing in 6.3 million viewers and a 32% 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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