TV Overnights: Bianca’s meltdown helps EastEnders beat Corrie
It was judgement day for village vicar Ashley on Emmerdale (ITV1, 7pm), as his conscience and weeks of questionable behaviour finally caught up with him. Even his father Sandy, the victim of Ashley’s unholy fist, grew a pair and let it all come flooding out. 6.6 million viewers watched the Vicar search his soul and deal with his issues head-on, securing a 33% audience share.
While the rural soap tackled complicated father/son issues, EastEnders (7:30pm) on BBC One focused on a mother and daughter duel between Carol and Bianca, who had a lot of venting to do themselves. The urban soap attracted the biggest audience of the night. Continuing financial issues were pushing single mother Bianca further to the edge and to top it all off the electricity man uncovered her devious plot for free ‘leccy. As usual the drama dial was turned all the way up to 11, pulling in 7.8 million viewers (36%), as Bianca spewed all her anger onto her mother, bringing up years of resentment and issues. It’s a wonder either of them could keep track of their hardships – maybe they journal? The cross-generational aggro helped EastEnders beat Coronation Street, in a rare victory.
It was back up to the Dales at 8pm as Ashley came up with a plan to cleanse his soul. The second episode of the night built on the earlier audience, totalling at 6.8 million viewers (a 30% share). In a misguided attempt to redeem himself Ashley walked into the Woolpack and divulged his sins through an indulgent monologue, in a serious case of overshare. As soap characters tend to do.
Anne Robinson and her two stooges continued their mission to transform Watchdog (BBC One, 8pm) in to spoon-fed hysterical nonsense featuring painfully awkward ‘banter’. Sprinkled between the idiotic ‘investigations’, from tools Matt Alright and Chris Hollins, were sprites of useful advice (if they could be understood over the wailing originating from Alice Beer’s spectre). The tough-as-nails probing pulled in 4 million jumpy consumers (a 17% audience share).
It was a relief to long-standing fans of Coronation Street (ITV1, 8:30pm) that Audrey Roberts didn’t follow the white light at the end of the tunnel and decided to fight another day. Not letting a small issue like a minor heart attack get in the way of good old-fashioned family feuding, Audrey posted Nigel Havers on her hospital door to filter out any unwanted grandchildren. 7.6 million viewers (32%) watched as David realised that maybe Kylie was the instigator that was tearing apart the Platt (or whatever they’re called now) family.
Over on Channel 4 at 9pm was alarmist documentary The Plot to Bring Down Britain’s Planes. 1.2 million people tuned in to see the programme explore the 2006 terrorist effort to destroy US planes originating from Heathrow, providing the channel’s biggest audience of the day.
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.