TV Overnights: A shocking evening as Emmerdale once again KOs EastEnders
For the third time in just two weeks traditional soap underdog Emmerdale (ITV) was triumphant against its age old rival over on BBC One.
ITV broadcast two episodes of the rural soap last night, with the drama initially kicking off at 7pm. The first slice of action saw teenage tearaway Sean search frantically for his missing dog Meg. Fortunately for the Burberry-sponsored youth, the hunt came to a quick end early on in the episode.
Unfortunately, Meg was slightly expired by the time he found her. 6.5 million viewers watched as Sean struggled to contain his anger and Hulked out by breaking into Brook Cottage and smashing the place asunder. The freak-out was going so well until the urban hooligan stuck a pole through some electric cables, leading to a serious shock to the system.
An audience share of 35% tuned in to see if the jolt put his hair on end, sending his cap flying off in a typically comedic manner. Spoiler: it didn’t.
It was over to Walford afterwards as EastEnders made its best effort to heighten the drama as Sharon – the Square’s pill-popping mess of a human – had to brave the worst dinner party ever recorded.
Playing out like the saddest sitcom in human history, Sharon, Phil and Lola were first interrupted by a noisy social worker and then Phil’s psychotically damaged ex, Shirley. With two surprise guests like that it was no wonder Shazza was munching away on her happy pills every chance she got.
The relentless incidents of social faux pas brought 6.2 million viewers to Sharon’s party, resulting in a 31% audience share. Although the London soap was overshadowed by the rural meltdown on ITV, EastEnders did manage to pull in the second biggest audience of the night.
Emmerdale‘s swift rise to the top didn’t last throughout the night, with the second episode only managing 6.1 million viewers, falling just behind EastEnders. Scenes of Dan desperately attempting to save his son’s life were watched by a 29% share.
Later on at 9pm, presenter Jasmine Harman continued to help people give their homes a little tidy up all the while convincing us she’d performed some kind of miracle. The second episode of Britain’s Biggest Hoarders (BBC One) once again forced elderly people to throw out all their sacred belongings in order to deliver a distant sense of catharsis to please viewers.
The audience remained virtually the same week on week, with 3.3 million viewers (a 15% share) tuning in for last night’s frenzied skip-filling fun.
Over on ITV, it was time for the second and final part of ye ole ahead-of-their-time smart arsed forensic drama Murder on the Home Front (9pm). With news of the Nazi strangler reaching the ears of the common folk, Julian and Anne were in a race against time to track the Blitz fiend down.
Kind of like CSI but without any of the inappropriate Iron Man technology, our plucky heroes helped bring in the biggest audience in the 9pm slot. 3.8 million viewers tuned in for lashings of slayed prostitutes before bedtime, securing a 18% share.
Meanwhile BBC Two was looking back in time with equally nostalgic lenses. The Tube: An Underground History (9pm) fawned over the world’s oldest underground railway, sidestepping the fact that it currently performs like it is the world’s oldest underground railway.
The hour long descent into madness was BBC Two’s biggest hit of the day, bringing in 2.2 million viewers and a 10% share.
If none of that took your fancy, Channel 4 had the perfect show for you. Cheery evening treat The Murder Workers (9pm) was a Cutting Edge documentary focusing on employees of the Victim Support’s National Homicide Service. 874,000 viewers (a 4% share) watched the counsellors at work as young children explained the circumstances of their mother’s murder. Happy Friday!
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.