TV Overnights: BBC One’s Survivors returns with almost 5m viewers

BBC One’s popular Survivors series returned to its peak-hour slot with a high of more than 4.8 million viewers last night.

The first episode of the new six-part drama, with Julie Graham and Paterson Joseph, attracted 4.4 million average viewers and a 17.5% audience share between 9pm and 10pm.

However, ITV1’s Piers Morgan On came a close second with over 4 million viewers and a 16.1% average audience share.  The former journalist and Britain’s Got Talent judge continued in his quest to unveil the “real” side to his chosen destinations.  This time round it was Marbella’s turn to come under the spotlight.

Elsewhere, Channel 4’s last ever Celebrity Big Brother series – on at the earlier time of 9pm – just pipped Five’s ever-popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation with an equal 2.8 million average viewers but a marginally higher share of 11.3% to Five’s 11.1%.

At the same time, BBC Two’s new documentary Simon Schama on Obama’s America debuted with 1.3 million average viewers and a 5.4% audience share.

Other programmes to stand out in last night’s TV line-up were BBC One’s Eastenders, which pulled in more than 10.2 million average viewers between 7.30pm and 8pm, and Channel 4’s new ‘bodyshock’ special Girl Who Cries Blood, which picked up over 1.2 million viewers between 10.10pm and 11.15pm.

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.