The return of Cowell and Cole puts The Doctor in his box
Saturday night brought a scheduling clash of astronomical proportions as an eternally youthful old man and his irritating companions went on a hunt for intelligent life in our galaxy, only to find the latest series of The X Factor (ITV, 8pm) actually had to partially battle it out with rival Doctor Who (BBC One, 7:30pm) for weekend dominance.
Rolling back onto our screens with the type of hoopla that is usually reserved for apocalyptic events, the eleventh series of the karaoke competition once again excelled at convincing viewers that something really monumental was happening on screen.
There were more ‘dramatic’ line-up changes this year, as axed Cheryl Not-Cole completed her three year stint in the naughty corner, alongside renowned vocalist Scary Spice joining long-standing judges Louis and Simon.
Barely beating last year’s opening audience of 8.8 million viewers, the weekend’s biggest audience tuned in to be convinced that this series would bring something fresh and different. A total of 8.9 million viewers spent one hour and 25 minutes in the company of Cowell and his swarm of underlings, resulting in a 40% share.
So it would seem that ITV’s ratings juggernaut is now Doctor Who‘s biggest concern, especially considering that much of Saturday night’s episode continued to emasculate the Daleks.
Despite the hype around the new regeneration for the past eight months, it may have been a surprise to some that Saturday’s adventure was only Peter Capaldi’s second ever episode.
After last week’s tumultuous feature-length opener (in which a freaked out Doctor got used to his new body) brought an impressive 6.8 million viewers, there was always going to be some casual fan deflation going forwards.
5.2 million viewers and a 25% share watched as the Doctor and Clara shrunk themselves in order to go inside a Dalek prisoner, with the lower rating, no doubt due to the final 15 minutes clashing with The X Factor.
A bit later Casualty brought the biggest share back to BBC One with 3.9 million viewers tuning in at 9:10pm, while over on ITV Through the Keyhole pulled in 3.7 million viewers and an 18% share at 9:30pm.
Despite the fact that Sunday brought a whole new schedule, viewers were forced to get used to the omnipresence of The X Factor (ITV, 8pm) altough the running time was mercifully cut down to just one hour. The closed room auditions netted an audience of 7.6 million viewers and a 32% share.
Elsewhere, the usually friendly and amiable Countryfile (BBC One, 8pm) saw things get a little bit judgey as John Craven drafted in some celebrity mates to help out in a photo competition.
Clearly appealing to a completely different audience than the constructed drama over on ITV, 5.1 million viewers watched as Bill Bailey and a lady zoologist chose the 12 pictures for next year’s Countryfile calendar, resulting in a 22% share.
Over on BBC Two Dragons’ Den (8pm) was watched by 1.5 million viewers, while a Time Team special on Channel 4, Secrets of the Body Snatchers (8pm), secured 833,000 viewers.
At 9pm, there was finally some happiness to be had in The Village as Harriet prepared to walk down the aisle, bringing in the slots’ biggest audience of 3.8 million viewers.
Over on BBC Two, two former Fast Show colleagues joined forces for the first part of a Long Way Round-style travelogue in The Two Amigos: A Gaucho Adventure (9pm). Thankfully taking themselves much less seriously, John Thomson and Simon Day’s journey was watched by 1.3 million viewers and a 6% share.
On ITV, the am-dram stylings of The Great War: The People’s Story (9pm) continued with another dark tales of lost loves and trench madness, resulting in 1.6 million viewers.
Doing just as well was Ben Stiller ‘comedy’ Tower Heist (9pm) on Channel 4, with the electric chemistry with Eddie Murphy helping secure 1.6 million viewers and a 9% share.
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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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