Sports Relief Bake Off audience jumps up by 32%
After a bit of an unprecedented wobbly start last week, yesterday saw the second instalment of this year’s The Great Sport Relief Bake Off (BBC One, 8pm) edge closer to its expected glory.
Last night’s adventure in charitable competitiveness saw another four amiable celebrities enter the tent of teatime tension, bringing a noticeable and much-needed week on week rise of 32% along with them.
Yesterday’s biggest audience (outside of the soaps, natch) tuned in to see Chris Kamara take the ‘ex-footballer’ slot while Ed Balls took one for his team and threw himself into the politician-making-an-arse-of-himself role.
Guest host Jennifer Saunders gave Mel and Sue a run for their money in the unnecessarily annoying stakes, while broadcaster Victoria Coren Mitchell and sit-at-home popstrel Kimberly Walsh fleshed out the competition.
Last week’s opening episode only managed to attract an audience of 4.6 million viewers, while it’s possible the absence of a victorious Samantha Cameron helped the second episode increase in popularity.
In total, 6.1 million viewers watched as Balls talked about his moist muffins and got a little too into it before being defeated by his ex-Girls Aloud rival. The arsenal of American Muffins, Football Pies and Tiered Cakes helped secure a 28% share.
Afterwards, BBC One invited viewers for a fly-on-the-wall view of charity gone wrong (yes, worse than Coren Mitchell’s Bloody Mary muffins) with Camila’s Kids Company: The Inside Story (9pm).
The documentary was shot just as the organisation came under heavy scrutiny in the media, among claims of serious mismanagement and wasted funds, capturing the sensational demise first hand.
2.4 million viewers tuned in to see Camila Batmanghelidjh attempt to weather the storm, resulting in a 12% share.
But it was the inspired madness of ITV’s Midsomer Murders that netted the biggest prime time audience with the latest two hour trip through illogical slaughtering throwing some modern art into the mix.
4.5 million viewers watched as the opening of a new sculpture park in the accursed county turned into a crime scene as one of the pieces turned out to be an expired human doused in gold paint.
The latest 120 minute case to be leisurely cracked by DCI Barnaby and hip young friend DS Nelson secured a 21% average share for the commercial broadcaster.
On BBC Two at 8pm Architect Piers Taylor (he’s that guy that looks like the end result of genetically splicing together creepy schedule haunter Dr Christian and caustically dry author Will Self) was back saving houses and relationships in The £100K House: Tricks of the Trade, netting 1.1 million viewers and a 5% share.
At 9pm, the channel offered up some nightmare fuel in the form of World War Three: Inside the War Room, a dramatised but factual look at a scenario in which Russia moves into Eastern Europe.
A small audience of 598,000 viewers brazed the 60 minutes of anxiety, with the not unrealistic development netting a 3% share.[advert position=”left”]
Over on Channel 4 there was a new series of Posh Porn at 8pm, with the fabricated constructed reality show bagging 895,000 viewers and a 4% share.
At 9pm there was another trip to London’s St George’s Hospital in 24 Hours in A&E (kind of like The Supervet but the guest stars are considerably less fluffy), with the latest cocktails of trauma and touching moments netting 1.8 million viewers and a 9% share.
Even earlier, ITV was the sole provider of teatime trauma, with Emmerdale once again refusing to pull its punches. An audience of 6.2 million viewers tuned in at 7pm to see Aaron tell his mother Chas about the abuse he suffered as a child, resulting in a 32% share.
At 7:30pm, Wednesday’s trip to the event-packed cobbles of Coronation Street secured the day’s biggest audience, with 7 million viewers and 34% share tuning in to see Scary Mary laze about feeling sorry for herself in her dressing gown.
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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