Marcella slips slightly but still nets Monday night for ITV

A fresh week of prime time TV kicked off last night with a fairly sobering batch of programming, ranging from hard-hitting dramas to a number of truly difficult to watch exposés.

At 9pm, it was time for ITV to unveil the second episode of hit psychological drama, Marcella, starring Anna Friel as a former detective being dragged back to work while dealing with some…personal issues.

Debuting last week to an audience of 5.8 million viewers, the tale of a woman dealing with some slightly worrying moments of uncontrollable rage followed by complete blackouts added a little something new to the well-worn genre.

From the mind of Nordic noir instigator Hans Rosenfeldt (The Bridge) ITV’s bold new drama really is slightly silly but totally gripping stuff, although the second episode did suffer a concerning week-on-week loss of -10%.

It total, 5.2 million viewers tuned in last night to see if DS Marcella Backland herself was the rampaging killer the super troubled copper was actually chasing, resulting in the biggest 9pm audience with a 24% share.

The commercial broadcaster’s Monday night success actually kicked off earlier, with its deluge of soaps netting the day’s top spots. Emmerdale brought in 6.1 million viewers and a 32% share at 7pm, helped a little by the soap’s eagerness to show a bare arse in the teatime slot.

A double trip to Coronation Street secured the day’s top two spots despite the suspiciously exotic smell wafting from number 28.

6.9 million viewers watched at 7:30pm as Gary Windass secured some wacky tobacco for suffering ex girlfriend Izzie, resulting in a 32% share before falling to 6.5 million viewers and a 30% share for the 8:30pm instalment.

Sandwiched in between was Further Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green (ITV, 8pm) which saw the former pop star looking at rock formations, with 2.9 million viewers and a 14% share tuning in.

It was all very different over on BBC One, with I’m Broken Inside: Sara’s Story – Panorama setting the tone at 7:30pm. Detailing tragic tales of young people with mental health issues and the state of the crumbling care system, the sad but important investigation netted 2.7 million viewers and a 14% share.

BBC One provided some light relief at 8pm, with another trip to visit those happy people of sunny Walford in EastEnders.

6.3 million viewers watched closeted gay man Ben Mitchell drag his half naked girlfriend Abi Branning around the Vic (ruining some delightful karaoke in the process) after finding out she lied about her pregnancy, resulting in a 30% share.

At 8:30pm, Abused: The Untold Story (BBC One) attempted to put a spotlight on the lasting damage dealt to the victims of Jimmy Saville and their families, in an effort to put some personal weight behind the horrific headlines that we’ve become immune to.

Coming across as a grand apology from the broadcaster, the documentary attempted to look at the cover-up culture at the time while giving a voice to the countless victims.

The harrowing hour and a half brought in 2.1 million viewers and a 10% share.

Over on BBC Two, University Challenge secured in 2.8 million viewers at 8pm while 9pm brought the penultimate episode of ultra-addictive American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson.

1.1 million viewers watched as the prosecution’s case exploded into a storm of racism with the unbelievable truth securing a 5% share.

The Great Benefits Row: Channel 4 Dispatches brought in 844,000 and a 4% share at 8pm while the latest adventure on The Island with Bear Grylls (9pm) saw the fractured community finally catch a meal.

2.1 million viewers watched as a net that took five days to make was lost after five minutes in the sea, to some terrifying currents bringing in a 10% share.

At 10pm, that Sex Box show continued on Channel 4.

Returning for a second series that no one asked for after three years away, last night saw a former Big Brother ‘star’ pop in for a spot of spanking and sex-in-a-box, as is the current state of our seemingly crumbling society.

693,000 viewers tuned in to reel in horror at the awkward awfulness of it all, resulting in a 5% share

Channel 5 once again aired Sinkholes : Buried Alive at 7pm, bringing in 524,000 viewers and a 3% share while Police Inceptors: The Fatal Four  bagged 1.1 million viewers and a 5% share at 8pm.

TFL fluff piece, The Tube: Going Underground continued at 9pm, bringing in the broadcaster’s biggest audience of the day with 1.3 million viewers and a 6% 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.

To get all the latest Mediatel Newsline updates follow us on Twitter.