TV Overnights: DCI Banks beats Celia Imrie with 4.4m for ITV1
Genealogical documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC One) secured the second biggest audience in the 9pm slot last night, after being postponed from last week. Celia Imrie was the latest curious personality to take a ride on the ancestry express.
The renowned actress was in no doubt of the fine linage she descended from, even before the researchers did their rummaging through the archives.
Luckily for her that turned out to be true, although they were hardly the stiff toffs that she had feared. There were plenty of scandals and surprises in store for Celia, who was visibly delighted with the news.
The series has been pulling in a consistent 4.3 million for the last three weeks and last night’s episode was no exception, resulting in a 19% audience share.
Celia’s scandalous revelations had to compete with the second series of Stephen Tompkinson’s detective drama over on ITV1. DCI Banks returned to our screens and the eponymous detective was as miserable as ever, helping secure the largest audience for that time.
The serious opener, based on the Inspector Alan Banks novels, saw our hero on the trail of his estranged brother and being tasked to break in a new partner. 4.4 million viewers watched the serious glum sleuth stumbling through his brother’s messy life, almost the same amount that watched the last episode in October 2011, netting a 20% share.
Channel 4 brought us another confident couple determined to make their lasting mark on the world in Grand Designs. Nigel and Lysette descended on the picturesque Thameside village of Shiplake and promptly knocked down a scenic long-standing boathouse with the idea of replacing it with their ‘progressive’ modern sterility.
As tempers with the (extremely close) neighbours flared up, the couple became more determined than ever, executing the build with a steeliness that would make Anna Wintour look inadequate. 2.2 million viewers (a 9.5% share) caught up with the latest ego fest.
An hour earlier and BBC One once again secured the 8pm slot. Anne Robinson and her Watchdog team delved through the general injustice of the working man and slapped it altogether with the kind of subtlety usually associated with light entertainment. 5 million people watched as Matt Allwright, him with the honest looking face, warned us all about dodgy credit ratings and the like. The episode secured a 23% audience share.
At the same time on ITV1 was the nauseating All Star Mr & Mrs. Flogging their relationship for exposure this week was all-signing all-dancing scouse Jennifer Ellison and some bouncer she married. They were up against the might of the UK’s best and probably longest running double act, Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee.
The real shocks came with the couple’s devastatingly honest insights into their shocking tales of domestic recklessness; shoes were worn inside the house, someone liked a back rub and there were even tales of toilet seats being left up. 4.4 million viewers watched as the tales of psychological torture came to light, securing a 20% share.
All this left Coronation Street to pick up the biggest audience of the day at 7:30pm. Having your way with a manipulative convicted murderer is one thing but, as Ryan found out last night, you can’t tiptoe on the edge of the abyss without falling in eventually. Tracy Barlow took joyful glee in announcing her pregnancy to Ryan and future grandmother Michelle. The on-going relationship crisis secured 8 million viewers for ITV1, resulting in a 37% 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.