Don’t Tell The Bride finale sees a 378% increase on BBC One
Wednesday night delivered a noticeably unspectacular night of televisual viewing opportunities with a repeat of ITV’s generic regional detective show Vera (8pm) limping across the finish line to secure its two-hour prime time slot.
The episode from the show’s fourth series first aired in May 2014 and saw Brenda Blethyn’s cantankerous yet sympathetic Northumbrian crime solver and her latest interchangeable young male partner investigate the death of a property developer in sunny Whitley Bay.
An audience of 5.1 million viewers originally tuned in last year to see Vera and DS Ashworth traverse the length and breadth of Tyne and Wear for clues, with last night’s repeat falling to a still-impressive 3.2 million viewers.
A 17% share meant that the hour and 20 minute tale of murder and family secrets was enough to fend off the competition.
Over on BBC One, the new, more mainstream series of Don’t Tell The Bride (8pm) wrapped up its first non-BBC Three series, with the big move proving an obvious success.
In October 2014, the final episode of series eight pulled in just 561,000 viewers on the broadcaster’s terminally cash-strapped digital youth channel, with last night’s series nine finale improving on that considerably with an extraordinary 378% audience increase.
While the transfer to the big leagues of BBC One was always going to increase the show’s audience share, yesterday’s 2.7 million viewers and a 14% share shows the potential for relocating BBC Three brands going forward.
There was some more closure for BBC One’s audience straight afterwards as corny, barmy super cop drama The Interceptor (9pm) wrapped up its silly and earnest action after eight ropey episodes.
The flashy but empty show focused on a group of super cool elite London police officers, bearing one or two chips on their collective shoulder, chasing down a cheesy drug baron while facing off against their greatest threat – dodgy dialogue and ludicrous scenarios.
Opening up with 3.7 million viewers way back at the start of June, the broody show had struggled to maintain a dedicated audience in the following weeks.
Yesterday’s big send-off finally brought viewers the showdown between O. T. Fagbenle’s ‘tortured’ copper Ash and Trevor Eve’s nonsensical crime lord that they’ve been waiting for, resulting in 2.3 million viewers and a 12% share.
Over on BBC Two, Trust Me, I’m a Doctor secured 2.3 million viewers and a 12% share at 8pm, while the very latest workplace doc from the corporation Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Inside the Post Office (9pm) was watched by 1.4 million and a 7% share.
[advert position=”left”]Channel 4 aired the latest episode of The Autistic Gardener at 8pm pulled in 831,000 viewers and a 4% share, while the flesh tearing fun of One Born Every Minute (9pm) was watched by 1.4 million viewers and a 7% share.
Meanwhile, Channel 5 was having a property-nightmare-themed evening with The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door bagging 1.5 million viewers and an 8% share at 8pm while the completely different Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords at 9pm was watched by 1.3 million viewers and a 7% share.
At 7pm, there were more scenes of horrible people doing horrible things in the latest instalment of Emmerdale (ITV) which secured 5.5 million viewers, a 31% share and the day’s second biggest audience.
But it was the latest drama in Weatherfield that secured Wednesday’s top spot, as a very serious hoarding accident (more common than you’d think) saw a bereaved Roy and a troubled Cathy grow closer.
6.7 million viewers watched Coronation Street (7:30pm) as heroic Roy saved Cathy from a life trapped under a few empty cardboard boxes, resulting in a 35% 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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