TV Overnights: ITV1’s Monroe debuts with 6.1m viewers

ITV1’s new peak-hour drama Monroe started on a high of more than 6.1 million viewers last night.

The first of six episodes, which sees James Nesbitt take on the role of a neurosurgeon, achieved an average audience of more than 5.5 million viewers and a 24.4% share between 9pm and 10pm.

Meanwhile, the final episode of BBC One’s Comic Relief: Famous, Rich and in the Slums claimed second place in the peak-hour ratings battle with 3.6 million average viewers and a 15.8% share.

Over on BBC Two, The British at Work – the first of a new documentary series with presenter Kirsty Young – pulled in 1.6 million average viewers and a 7.1% share, while Channel 4’s reality show Love Thy Neighbour continued with just over a million viewers and a 4.4% share.

In a change to Channel 5’s schedule, Police Interceptors took the 9pm to 10pm slot – peaking with one million viewers at 9pm. However, the broadcaster’s coverage of the Liverpool Europa League Football match banked a high of more than 3.3 million viewers in the pre-watershed slot.

Aside from the football, the soap line-up was also a popular choice among viewers during prime time. BBC One’s Eastenders claimed the highest overall ratings of the night with 8.3 million viewers, though ITV1’s Coronation Street was not far behind – peaking with 8 million viewers 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.