Pleb Big Brother signs off with -28% fall from first episode
Thursday night saw Channel 5 herald the trumpets and turn the hype dial all the way up to 11 as the 16th series of Big Brother finally came to an end of 66 expletive-filled days.
The grand finale saw the six remaining house mates excitably make as much impact as they could before their over-wrought fifteen minutes of fame was finally up, with Doncaster Lass Chloe Wilburn beating the other five male finalists to be crowned the year’s least-worst person.
This year’s novelty spin came in the lazy form of a Timebomb/Timewarp theme, which was basically an excuse to randomly populate the claustrophobic sex-den with the terminally troubled, vain, mentally dull and forgotten stars of yesteryear.
Opening up with 1.7 million viewers way back in mid-May, the bi-annual sh*tstorm of sleaze, drunken arguments and lethally caustic personalities constantly scored Channel 5’s biggest audience of the day by averaging a little over 1 million viewers.
The carnival of anthropological anxiety closed with a -28% drop on 2015’s first episode, although a fall in interest throughout the run is usual – last year’s Power Trip themed series opened with a little under 2 million viewers and 72 days later closed with an audience of 1.5 million.
The one hour and 45 minute final attracted an average audience of 1.2 million viewers and a 7% share, slightly lower that the celebrity version’s 2.4 million viewers that watched February this year.
With the second Celebrity Big Brother of 2015 kicking off next month (apparently there’s a never ending list of slightly famous desperadoes) we’ll see if Channel 5 can recapture some of that old Channel 4 magic, although last night’s fun did top the Twitter TV chart.
Over on BBC One, it was time for the semi-finals of the latest Celebrity MasterChef (9pm) as the top eight people who successfully managed to simultaneously be famous and cook battled it out in the kitchen.
The biggest audience in the 9pm slot tuned in to see Chesney Hawkes face even more public rejection, resulting in 4 million viewers and a 21% share.
On BBC Two, the latest episode of Coast netted a healthy 1.6 million viewers (an 8% share) while ITV’s Superhospital brought in 2.3 million viewers and a 12% share.
There was more Twitter-bait fayre over on Channel 4, as the second episode of Married at First Sight (9pm) actually improved on last week’s audience of 1.6 million viewers. The show, in which strangers get married on the advice of a poppycock council of experts, secured 1.8 million and 9% share.
Earlier, BBC Two was prescribing its viewers some aural and visual relaxation in the form of Ireland’s Wild River: The Mighty Shannon (8pm), a gentle-as-Valium wadlle through Ireland’s longest river. Guided by the calming and soft Irish tones of nature-mad presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson, the relaxing paddle took in 1.2 million and a 6% share.
On BBC One, DIY SOS: The Big Build was watched by 3.7 million viewers and a 19% share at 8pm, while Kevin McCloud continued his building mix tape on Grand Designs: Living in the Wild, which was watched by 915,000 viewers and a 5% share.
Reaching for a completely different market was Channel 5, which at the same time brought viewers The Holiday Airport: Sun, Sea and Scousers (8pm), securing 585,000 viewers and a 3% share.
At 7pm, ITV offered up a double helping of Emmerdale, before next week’s latest character cull in another one of those random explosions, something which pushes the long running soap closer and closer to Hollyoaks territory with every passing stunt.
5.2 million viewers and a 30% share tuned in for the first visit to see horrible people making horrible decisions, while the 8pm helping matched the 5.2 million viewers with an 28% share.
Surprisingly, Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) didn’t take yesterday’s top spot, despite 5.6 million viewers tuning in to see Tracey Barlow’s hilarious ex-husband act like a potato-headed hard man, resulting in a 28% share.
Over on BBC One, it looked like EastEnders‘ (7:30pm) long game continued to pay dividends as Lucy’s murder continued to haunt the Beale family. 5.8 million viewers watched as enthusiastic detectives settled on a new suspect, netting a 32% 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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