Clichéd and silly, The Interceptor is a hit for BBC One
In a bid to offer up some relief to the never-ending onslaught of brooding and gritty police procedurals littering the nation’s TV screens, last night saw BBC One launch hilariously earnest thriller The Interceptor (9pm).
Kicking off with such disorientating sincerity, the cliché-riddled show quickly (and unintentionally) veered towards satirical territory as a ‘tortured’ customs agents was recruited into a crack team of justice dispensers, attempting to survive bad guys and shockingly creaky dialogue along the way.
Like Spooks but a whole lot sillier, O-T Fagbenle (HBO’s Looking) starred as Ash, the new recruit (with a few dozen chips on his shoulder), who joined an elite team working outside the law. The frivolous drama seemed to be enough of a change of pace to garner a decent amount of interest from prime time viewers.
The biggest audience of Wednesday’s 9pm slot tuned in to see if Ash would survive his vendetta against London’s big crime boss (played by Trevor Eve) or if a bout of hokey acting would get to him first.
In total an audience of 3.7 million viewers tuned in to see the introduction of the inadvertently humorous 2D characters struggle with their ‘issues’, with a 19% share helping nail the timeslot for BBC One.
Meanwhile on ITV, it was time for the nation’s favourite collective therapy session, Long Lost Family (9pm), with the second episode of the fifth series once again scientifically designed to make viewers emotionally crack.
Last night’s weep-fest continued to douse out the tragic stories, as the tepid pairing of Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell saw the presenters turn their expressions all the way up to ‘concerned friend’ as strangers shared their painful pasts with the nation.
The emotional outpouring offered some kind of counterweight to BBC One’s dead-eyed cop drama but managed to pull in 76,000 less viewers than its rival.
3.7 million viewers caught up with the weekly communal crying session, resulting in an 18% share.
There was more trauma on Channel 4, with 24 Hours in A&E dealing with the more physical kind of pain. 1.6 million viewers watched as a distressed elderly couple were brought in after been hit by a vehicle, all in the name of entertainment.
The latest trip to St George’s Hospital netted Channel 4’s biggest hit of the day with an 8% share.
On Channel 5, it was time for the latest conservative propaganda piece designed to convince people that 24 hour surveillance is a good thing.
Among the dangerous treats facing the UK on last night’s Caught on Camera (9pm) were four wreckless young teenage girls who brought a city centre to a standstill after smoking a joint.
An audience of 581,000 viewers watched as police officers surrounded by video screens recorded after the event had to pretend (badly) that they were reacting to the situation in real-time, fooling no one and securing a 3% share.
Earlier at 8pm, gallant Nick Knowles joined forces with Laurence Llewelyn Bowen in order to do some good for big hearted teatime makeover show DIY SOS: The Big Build (BBC One). 4.4 million viewers watched as the dynamic duo transformed a couple’s home in order to accommodate their recently paralysed grown-up son, netting a 24% share.
On BBC Two, the excitement of Springwatch 2015‘s (8pm) badger-centric antics helped bring in 2 million viewers and an 11% share for the thrilling penultimate episode.
The Cube (8pm) continued in the new midweek relegation spot on ITV, with Phillip Schofield continuing to put on a brave face. Just 2.7 million viewers watched the Saturday night plastic box fun, resulting in a 15% share.
Earlier, ITV offered up some more teatime portions of rural sex and crime in the latest Emmerdale (7pm). 5.2 million viewers tuned in to see Debbie Dingle continue to be a Debbie downer, moaning about something new and pulling in a 33% share.
Wednesday’s big winner came in the form of Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) as mature dolly bird Liz McDonald felt an urge to grab some action. 6.3 million viewers watched as the former landlady launched a spot of heavy flirting with two burly brewery workers, netting a 37% 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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