Moody Safe House continues to dominate Monday night for ITV

For the second week in a row ITV’s new crime thriller Safe House secured the 9pm slot for the commercial broadcaster as Captain Happiness himself, Christopher Eccleston, continued to protect a family in his care.

Last week’s opening episode told the tale of a haunted ex-copper ™ who was talked into opening his guest house to a family in hiding from criminals, and actually beat one of the incessantly popular final episodes of BBC One’s MasterChef in the process.

An impressive 5.3 million viewers tuned in for the set up instalment as Johnson from Peep Show convinced his old colleague, the Northern Doctor Who, to allow a bloke who used to be in Emmerdale and his family to hide out in his country refuge.

Last night brought the second of four episodes, as Eccleston’s Robert attempted to get some answers while babysitting his mysterious guests, with the audience falling by over 700,000 viewers week on week.

Last night’s slice of rural paranoia brought in 4.6 million viewers to ITV, resulting in a 21% share.

At the same time, BBC One was busy putting its feet up and taking it easy with a repeat of elderly crime solving drama New Tricks (9pm). Originally watched by an overnight figure of 7.1 million viewers back in 2012, last night’s tale of dismembered civil servants was watched by 2.6 million viewers and a 12% share.

Over on Channel 4, it was time to wave goodbye to a short-lived third run of Skint (9pm), the broadcaster’s current default benefits obsessed observational documentary.

This series decided to focus on the lucky welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil, giving its most colourful citizens a national platform in which to hang themselves, all in the name of entertainment.

1.3 million viewers tuned in to see the squalors young people in the town are being forced to live in, resulting in a 6% share for the show.

Over on BBC Two, another three-part documentary series came to an end, although it should be said that viewers were left in slightly more capable hands for Inside Harley Street (9pm).

The (sometimes literally) eye-opening series invited viewers behind the scenes of the West End street once known for pioneering medical thinking, now flooded with agents of the cosmetic surgery industry.

Thanks to the talents of film-maker Vanessa Engle, the final episode of the refreshingly insightful documentary once again stood out for featuring ‘real’ people and avoided dependence on reality show fodder like its contemporaries.

Yesterday’s closing chapter took a look at the growth of complementary, alternative and other therapies targeting the too-much-money-not-enough-sense market, netting 1.4 million viewers and a 7% share.

On Channel 5, the first series of fun-foreshadowing show Gotham (9pm) trundled on as plucky young cop James Gordon continued to battle organised corruption while dropping clunky hints about some character’s future. 789,000 viewers and a 4% share tuned in for their fix of non-Batman related crime fighting.

Dotted amongst the bevvy of Monday night soaps was BBC One’s Panorama: Who Will Win the Election? at 8:30pm which was watched by 2.2 million viewers and a 10% share.

There was more Wild Ireland on ITV at 8pm as Christine Bleakley continued to flash that winning smile every two seconds as bemused locals joined in on her innocuous conversation.

Kind of exactly like James Nesbitt’s Ireland, which electrified ITV viewers back in 2013, 3.3 million viewers tuned in for the light hearted adventure, resulting in a 16% share.

Of course, the soaps netted the top four slots with Emmerdale bagging 5.8 million viewers and a 31% share at 7pm on ITV.

On EastEnders (BBC One) at 8pm Max Branning pulled a Poldark and once again whipped off his top to thrill unsuspecting Monday night viewers, with added Denise Van Outen for good measure.

An audience of 6.1 million viewers survived the experience, resulting in BBC One’s biggest hit with a 29% share.

But it was double a Coronation Street (ITV) that took the top spots, netting 7 million viewers (a 35% share) at 7:30pm, falling to 6.8 million and a 31% share at 8:30pm.

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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