Silent Witness returns to brighten up January evenings
Last night brought TV’s seasonal silly season to an official close with the dawn of 2016’s first full week, and what better way to get back to schedule normality than with the return of a safe, highly dependable long-running crime thriller?
The 19th series of Silent Witness (BBC One, 9pm) saw lead sourpuss Dr Nikki (Emilia Fox) come back for another run of overwrought grimy adventures, with the show continuing to be broadcast mainly from a greyed out alternative universe, as if the super forensic sleuth and her colleagues permanently exist on the edge of twilight.
Dr Nikki and the general charisma vacuum that envelopes her and her equally serious co-workers proved the perfect complement to our dull January evenings, with each increasingly dark series traditionally launching a fresh year of BBC One drama, with yesterday’s début being no exception.
6.1 million viewers tuned in for the start of the 17th series back in January 2014, rising slightly to 6.7 million for the start of last year’s adventures in mutilated corpses.
Yesterday saw 6.5 million viewers allow Dr Nikki into their homes to bathe their Monday night in a cloak of sunshine and happiness, as the hapless forensic pathologist attracted the personal attention of yet another crazed serial killer which of course is an occupational hazard.
This strong start resulted in a solid 28% share, ensuring a continuation for the silently successful show for a while yet.
Unfortunately there was no gratuitous slaughtering on hand over on ITV, as the commercial broadcaster penned an hour and a half love letter to the Prince’s Trust with a little help from two Geordie minions.
When Ant and Dec Met the Prince: 40 Years of the Prince’s Trust (9pm) saw ITV’s resident tiny tots offer up a slick slice of corporate PR and somehow managed to pull in 5.4 million viewers and a 24% share.
On Channel 4, The Undateables (9pm) returned for a fifth series of finding love against the odds, nabbing 1.8 million viewers and an 8% share in the process, while BBC Two’s different kettle of fish, Immortal Egypt with Joann Fletcher (9pm) launched with 1.3 million and a 6% share.
At the same time, Channel 5’s resident fearless and intrepid reporter, Paul Connolly, was back to sensationally uncover some more hard truths about modern society.
Inside the World’s Most Dangerous Prison (9pm) saw the brave reporter channel that bald ex-soap actor and man-up to spend a week in a Honduras cell, netting 908,000 viewers and a 4% share.
Earlier in soap land, Emmerdale (ITV, 7pm) got Monday’s giant ball of suspect plot rolling with 6.9 million viewers and a 32% share tuning in, while BBC One’s EastEnders (8pm) secured 7.3 million viewers and a 31% share.
But it was long-suffering cobble-treader Carla Connor that secured the day’s biggest audiences in a Coronation Street (ITV) double whammy.
8.1 million viewers watched at 7:30pm as Carla explained to her cousins that they were actually a little more closely related, resulting in a 35% share, with the 8:30pm showing netting 7.4 million viewers and a 31% 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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