Monday night saw ITV unleash a brand new twee regional detective series upon the TV schedule, with 9pm seeing fans of light-hearted murders descend upon Grantchester.

While The X Factor’s earlier 8pm performance on Saturday certainly saw an improvement, the tears and forced drama was over shadowed by the BBC’s sequinned secret weapon.

Thursday night saw the welcome return of BBC Two’s critically acclaimed gangster drama Peaky Blinders (9pm) as Cillian Murphy’s gangland boss welcomed in the 1920s with the usual visual flourish.

Wednesday night finally brought the semi-final of The Great British Bake Off (BBC One, 8pm) to the nation’s screens after nine long weeks of tears, sweat, lots of butter and a heavy sprinkling of contrived controversies.

BBC One’s dark northern thriller The Driver continued with the second episode seeing a slight fall in popularity as David Morrissey’s taxi driver-come-mafia chauffeur was dealing with serious spoilage issues in his vehicle.

Last night saw ITV air the final episode of young Pricilla White’s quest for international fame as the surprisingly successful Cilla (9pm) (in every sense) finally got a taste of the big leagues.

Not content with infecting the Saturday and Sunday night schedules with its fabricated brand of easy fame, Friday night saw ITV give the public exactly what they wanted.

Thursday night brought the end for ITV’s latest crime drama Chasing Shadows (9pm), which wrapped up its short run after four episodes.

Last night there was another shock surprise in store for easily-shook fans of The Great British Bake Off (8pm) as a highly popular contestant was given their marching orders after the terrifying ordeal of Advanced Dough week.

Tuesday night saw the BBC offer up an automotive-themed evening across both terrestrial stations, with the launch of a brand new dark drama series anda documentary about a motorway.