Strictly once again waltzes away with Saturday’s audience
Saturday saw another lengthy evening of quickstepping, foxtrotting and pasodoble-ing as BBC One released its hoard of contracted celebrities from their training camps in order to provide the nation with just under two hours of essential light entertainment.
Strictly Come Dancing (6:30pm) proved yet again that Saturday audiences crave light and frothy action over convoluted reality drama with an impressive audience of 9.4 million viewers tuning in to see the remaining twelve couples lose all sense of dignity in order to win viewers hearts and extend their careers a little further.
The day’s biggest audience watched as Cha Cha-ing former rugby player Thom Evans fell to the bottom of the pile alongside a Viennese Waltz-ing former member of Blue, Simon Webbe.
Despite a terrifyingly ropy rendition of Karma Chameleon by a reformed Culture Club, the sparkle fest secured a 43% share for BBC One.
Over on the other side, it was time for Simon, Cheryl, that one from that novelty band and boy band-botherer Louis Walsh to destroy some young dreams with two hours and ten minutes of The X Factor (8pm) clogging up ITV’s schedule like a fatty artery.
7.1 million viewers tuned in to see the movie-themed elimination process stretched out to paper thin dimensions, resulting in a 31% share.
A bit later on BBC One, the latest adventure for the Doctor and his increasingly miffed companions on Doctor Who (8:20pm) pulled in 5 million viewers and a 22% share.
Straight up afterwards, dependable medical vehicle Casualty (9pm) delivered 4 million viewers and an 18% share for the broadcaster.
While Channel 4 had a particularly good Friday night with Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (8pm) returning with a bang (and an audience of 1.1 million viewers) and Gogglebox (9pm) netting a now-regular 3 million viewers, it was very much a different story on Saturday.
The fourth series of Tony Robinson’s Walking Through History brought in 892,000 viewers at 8pm while substandard romantic comedy/spy film/vanity vehicle This Means War (9pm) secured just 825,000 viewers and a 4% share.
The tranquillity of Countryfile (6:15pm) on BBC One ushered in Sunday night’s entertainment as Matt Baker visited Hadrian’s Wall (only the 758th time in the show’s history) to look at some plants, netting a massive audience of 6.7 million viewers and a 32% share.
At 7:15pm it was time for the results of Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) with the weekend’s biggest audience tuning in to see which mum-friendly strapping man would get the proverbial boot. 9.5 million viewers watched as the housewives’ favourite (not Mark Wright, the other chap) failed to impress the spray tanned judges, resulting in a 40% share.
There were more tears over on ITV with The X Factor Results at 8pm. 7.6 million viewers tuned in for an hour of humming and hawing, resulting in a 30% share and a very sad tattoo enthusiast.
Afterwards, Lady Edith’s relentless woes continued on Downton Abbey (ITV, 9pm) as she learned that her ex had indeed shuffled his mortal coil, inspiring her to run away with her illegitimate child once and for all.
7.6 million viewers hoped in vain to see an end to the misery, resulting in a 33% share.
At the same time on Channel 4, 1.2 million viewers tuned in for some more Sunday night trauma on Homeland (9pm) after last week’s disturbing scene (baby baths and Carrie Mathison do not mix), with our anti-heroes’ return to Islamabad bringing in a 5% 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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