Attenborough’s dramatic Life Story secures 4.4m for BBC One
Thursday night brought the return of a broadcasting legend to BBC One as renowned naturalist David Attenborough’s new prime time series, Life Story (9pm), told the tale of a random collection of some of nature’s more interesting animals.
Thankfully the show followed life’s chronological design with the first episode taking a look at cuddly big-eyed new-born creatures from all corners of the globe.
Despite the cuteness, viewers were sometimes taken on a harrowing journey, from the Gobi Desert to New Zealand, as the young animals each fought their own battle for survival.
4.4 million viewers – the 9pm slot’s biggest audience – tuned in to see ickle barnacle goose chicks leap down sharp 400ft cliff drops just to see if they have the mettle to survive, resulting in a 21% share.
Meanwhile on BBC Two, acclaimed cult period drama Peaky Blinders (9pm) continued to barely make an impact as Cillian Murphy’s mob boss Tommy came under threat from the Italian and Jewish crime syndicates.
As usual, an audience of 1.4 million viewers tuned in for the 1920s-set gangland territorial disputes, despite the media praise, netting a 7% share.
On ITV, The Great Fire (9pm) continued to burn but the dwindling combustion caper lost a significant amount of energy with 40% of last week’s audience missing in action, presumably disintegrating in the scorchy madness.
Last week’s opening episode showed viewers the very spark that kicked off the London catastrophe of September 1666 and managed to bring in 4.5 million viewers.
Last night’s return trip to Ye Olde London Town didn’t have quite the same draw with only 2.7 million viewers and a 13% share tuning in to see Andrew Buchan’s baker attempt to get his family to safety.
On Channel 4, Educating the East End (9pm) reached the end of the school year in the eighth and final episode. While nowhere near as popular as the previous series, East End did manage to secure a solid audience each week, with 1.1 million and a 5% share waving off the precocious darlings.
A little earlier, a double whammy of rural ructions on Emmerdale (ITV) brought in Thursday’s second and third biggest audience as Robert Sugden made his big comeback after he left the Village of the Dammed back in 2009.
An audience of just over 6 million viewers (a 32% share) watched at 7pm as the prodigal son returned to take over Home Farm (after the previous family, The Macey’s, pretty much killed themselves off) with 5.9 million viewers and a 28% share tuning in an hour later at 8pm.
For the second time in a week EastEnders (BBC One, 7:30pm) took the day’s number one spot as the residents of Walford prepared for King of Charisma Tamwar’s birthday.
Featuring a live performance from Sonia’s guitar-wielding toilet baby, the episode secured 6.5 million viewers and a 32% share, proving that the soap can secure live viewers when ITV’s Corrie juggernaut isn’t clogging up the schedule.
Channel 5’s biggest hit came along at the same time with Underground Britain (8pm) bagging 863,000 viewers and a 4% share.
At the same time, Channel 4’s resident laddish Geordie architect, George Clarke, returned for another nine-part run of mini-Grand Design‘s as viewers were invited into extraordinary back garden ‘sheds’ the country over.
After converting his own dingy back garden into a family-friendly emporium of luxury and fun and building a futuristic tree house for his kids, the fourth series of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (8pm) saw the presenter build a magical woodland cabin for his family, all on Channel 4’s time and money.
1.5 million viewers tuned in for some small scale inspiration, resulting in the channel’s biggest hit of the day.
Ay 8:30pm, ITV netted 4.2 million viewers for half an hour as Paul O’Grady continued to slobber over man’s best friend. The latest edition of the perennially popular Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs netted a 20% 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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