Mad relationship doc Married at First Sight closes with 1.6m
Yesterday saw Channel 4 deliver a dollop of nonsense for the third week running as the Twitter-baiting silliness of Married at First Sight (9pm) came to an end.
The basic premise of the documentary series goes like this – for some reason that is never really explained, a council of ‘experts’ (a sexologist, a spiritualist, a psychologist and a sociologist, naturally) match up 1,500 applicants and invite them to meet each other at their own wedding ceremonies.
1.6 million viewers tuned in two weeks ago to witness the ridiculous vetting process, with a series peak of 1.8 million viewers tuning in last week to see the complete strangers tie the knot, because, it seems, people are that stupid. Or they just really want to be on telly.
Yesterday’s final episode looked at the interesting ‘honeymoon’ period as the vacant vessels attempted to get to know each other, with some not making it past the two week period.
Last night’s anti-climactic break up saw the audience fall back down to 1.6 million viewers and an 8% share, resulting in Channel 4’s biggest hit of the day.
Meanwhile on BBC One, the penultimate episode of the latest series of Celebrity MasterChef netted the biggest 9pm audience, as the unholy hybrid of an X Factor reject and a Big Brother contestant, Rylan Clark, battled against a discarded Pussycat Doll, a craggy face only EastEnders could love and a CBBC ‘personality’ for a place in tonight’s final.
4.9 million viewers watched as E20’s Scott Maslen was given his marching orders by a guest judging panel of haughty top-rated chefs, netting a 24% share and topping the Twitter TV chart.
At the same time ITV decided to take it easy and delve into Channel 5’s prime time territory with another 9pm show cobbled together using grainy footage from CCTVs, GoPros and the citizen’s greatest friend – the trusty smartphone.
The first of two episodes, Britain Sees Red: Caught on Camera (9pm) invited viewers to spend their Thursday in a haze of aggression and caustic venting, as an audience of 3 million viewers (a 15% share) tuned in to spend sixty minutes of unpleasant people losing their shit, all caught for prosperity in its low-quality pixelated glory.
On BBC Two, those outdoorsy types continued to wander around Britain’s Coast (9pm) in a valiant effort to entice viewers with the stunning HD visuals. 1.9 million viewers and a 10% share caught up with the tenth series of the seaside action.
[advert position=”left”]There were some other tasty HD visuals over on Channel 5 as the broadcaster mashed together two of its favourite topics, obesity and welfare, to produce the enchantingly titled 87 Stone: Fat Chance of Work – Supersized. 681,000 and a 3% share watched it.
An hour earlier, Nick Knowles’ heart-warming gooiness helped the latest edition of DIY SOS: The Big Build (8pm) net 3.6 million viewers and an 18% share for BBC One, while Natural World (8pm) brought in 1.7 million viewers and an 8% share to BBC Two.
Over on Channel 4, Kevin McCloud was busy waving around his best bits, with Grand Designs: Living in the Suburbs (8pm) showing some highlights from the past 15 years. An audience of 950,000 viewers tuned in to see some impressive build change the look of the commuter belt, resulting in a 5% share.
In a slightly different vein, Channel 5 offered up The Holiday Airport: Sun, Sea & Scousers (8pm), with the alcohol and sunscreen-sponsored action netting 487,000 viewers and a 3% share.
But it was the latest nonsensical developments in soapland that scored the day’s top four places with Emmerdale (ITV) kicking things off at 7pm.
5.6 million viewers tuned in to see Robert shoot simple-minded Paddy, resulting in a 32% share while the second visit at 8pm saw Robert’s secrets exposed and managed to attract 5.7 million viewers and a 30% share.
EastEnders on BBC One at 7:30pm took third place as Phil Mitchell’s latest barmy against the Brannings bagged 5.6 million viewers and a 30% share.
But it was a single trip to Coronation Street that took the top spot as Weatherfield sexpot Les Dennis was forced to choose between two women. 6.2 million viewers tuned in to see former Girls Aloud member, Sarah Harding, make her ‘acting’ début, translating to a 30% 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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