Semi-final interviews see The Apprentice bounce back on top
Last night BBC One offered up feverish fans of loosely business-related game shows a chance to witness yet another cull of ‘bright’ young things on The Apprentice (9pm), as Lord Sugar of Amstrad wielded his unrelenting axe, eliminating three of the final five in one fell swoop.
The semi-final of the tenth series of BBC One’s continuously popular show once again pitched this year’s finalists against a group of people who were actually more irritating, arrogant, rude and superfluous than the contestants could ever hope of being.
The thrilling and traditional interview episode even had the power to pull in adamant haters of the show, with the cocky contestants torn to shreds for a full sixty minutes of tall poppy-cutting fun.
Wednesday night saw Bianca, Daniel, Mark, Roisin and Solomon all watch helplessly as Lord Sugar’s bessie mates were called in to beat the competitors’ egos within an inch of survival, much to the giddy pleasure of viewers around the nation.
The Apprentice fell to an alarming series low just two weeks ago after an ill-fated I’m a Celebrity… clash when Skeletongate (it’s been a slow year) brought in just 4.8 million viewers, with last week’s pudding-based panic attacks seeing the show crawl back up to 5.5 million viewers.
Yesterday, the competitive brown-nosing game show won back any lost fans over the past two weeks and easily secured the 9pm slot for BBC One. An average audience of 6.4 million viewers watched as charmers Bianca and Mark survived the lion’s den, resulting in a 28% share.
Afterwards on BBC Two The Apprentice You’re Fired was watched by 2.4 million viewers and a 14% share.
On ITV there was the sobering documentary Hit and Run (9pm) which focused on the shocking number of people/vehicle collisions on the UK’s roads each year.
1.8 million viewers tuned in to see interviews with police and victims’ families, netting a sorry 8% prime time share.
To counterbalance the overarching sense of loss and despair over on ITV, Channel 4 dedicated its late evening schedule to The British Comedy Awards 2014 (9pm), a two-hour event featuring every comedy game show panel member ever to appear on British TV.
Hosted by the bastion of all things hilarious, Jonathan Ross himself, the festival of backslapping and self-congratulation took in 1.2 million viewers and a 7% share.
At the same time on Channel 5, it was time to say goodbye to all your favourite characters on Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole (9pm) as the second series wrapped up its sprawling and thoughtful narrative.
Featuring another one of those suspect Christmas specials that was probably filmed in May, the fourth and final slice of cheap austerity entertainment secured 1.3 million viewers and a 6% share.
Meanwhile on BBC Two, it was time for the obsessive Medieval fans to finish their French abode as Secrets of the Castle with Ruth, Peter and Tom (9pm) saw the trio finally sort out all the wiring and plastering (figuratively speaking). 1.6 million viewers caught up with the educational fun, resulting in a 7% share.
At 8pm Waterloo Road was watched by 2.7 million viewers on BBC One, while BBC Two bettered that with an audience of 3.1 million viewers for MasterChef: The Professionals (8pm).
On ITV, the contrived sentiment of Surprise Surprise (8pm) bagged a little over 3 million viewers while the celebration of pointless consumer greed on Posh Pawn (8pm) won Channel 4 1.6 million viewers.
Yesterday’s soap glory belonged solely to ITV as Emmerdale managed to secure third overall place. The latest Dales drama kicked off at 7pm as yet more lovely rural folk got arrested and screwed each other over, netting 6 million viewers and a 30% share.
Straight afterwards the cobbles of Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) welcomed Wednesday’s biggest audience as over 7 million viewers tuned in to see the latest drama from Manchester. Scenes of walking sexpot Nick Tilsley getting harassed by ex-Emmerdale horn dog Claire King secured an audience share of 33%.
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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