New Two-Part Drama Fails To Hit The Mark For Two

The first part of BBC Two’s two-part drama starring Toni Collette and Tim Roth, Tsunami: The Aftermath, was watched by an average of 2.2 million adult viewers, giving the channel a 10% audience share.

Viewers of the programme remained with it throughout, but whether its second instalment next Tuesday will prove as popular remains to be seen. Despite some big name stars and a level of controversy surrounding its commission, the drama was fairly unimpressive. Even though it followed a moving and real life narrative, the programme failed to hit the mark, apart from occasionally effective photography.

Roth’s sleazy journalist and Hugh Bonneville’s character, Tony Whittaker, an official from the British Embassy in Bangkok, were dripping with predictable stereotypes, whilst the hour and a half length felt like an eternity.

A far greater number of viewers tuned in to the Aussie jungle antics of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in the 9pm to 10.30pm timeslot. As the programme draws ever nearer to its conclusion, it continues to perform well for ITV1, taking a peak of 7.3 million adults for the channel last night.

The programme took a 30.7% audience share, whilst celeb chef Gordon Ramsay’s f-ing and blinding of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares lured almost three million adults on average to Channel 4 (13%).

Five’s CSI double bill, Miami and NY, was once again a strong performer for the station, taking 2.5 and two million adult viewers respectively, an 11% share each.

The blood and gore of the ever eventful Holby City on BBC One proved a far bigger draw card for viewers than the poking, prodding, patronising Trinny and Susannah on ITV1. Holby was seen by an average of 6.1 million adults (29%) whilst the condescending duo brought 3.6 million to ITV1, a 17% viewing 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, ITV2 and Sky One.

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com Five: 020 7550 5555 www.five.tv