TV Overnights: Channel 5 grabs 2.1m viewers as latest needy housemate is rejected by the public
Excited midweek viewers were treated to a second day of Stargazing Live (BBC Two, 8pm) as Dara O’ Brian and a bunch of overly enthusiastic children turned their attention to the heavens.
Professor Brian Cox, the man single-handedly responsible for bring sexy back to astronomy following Sir Patrick Moore’s permanent retirement, broadcast live from the world’s most powerful observatory – the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in the Atacama Desert some place in Cheshire.
The educational show, which is cleverly disguised as entertainment due to the presenter’s excited and passionate delivery, attracted an audience of 1.8 million viewers which represents a 33% drop, night on night. An audience share of 8% meant that the telescope hogging fun was yesterday’s most watched BBC Two programme.
At the same time, in the nether regions of your digital planner was the second series of Charley Boorman’s Extreme Frontiers (Channel 5, 8pm). The first instalment of the four part run saw Charley continue to holiday alone since his break up with the actor Ewan McGregor. At his age!
Last night Charlie kicked off his great South African odyssey by taking in a bit of opulence amongst the privileged in Cape Town before enduring the hardships of visiting the Nelson Mandela tourist attraction on Robben Island.
It will be interesting to see if the ‘adventurer’ will veer off the path designated by the official Saga guide, allowing us to see the republic in all its varied glory. 895,000 people tuned in to see a 46 year old rich kid being paid by his mates to take yet another gap year, resulting in a 4% share.
Meanwhile on Channel 4, Gok Wan continued to expand that brand, giiiirl (and so on). Gok once again dressed up some fashion tips as self-help therapy, which usually should be dispensed by the professionally trained self-help authorities.
The second episode of Gok’s Style Secrets (Channel 4, 8pm) fell by 25% week on week, but still managed to bring in 1.4 million stragglers to Channel 4. An audience share of 6% watched as Gok selflessly tried to help a kickboxing single mother of two get her groove back.
Matt Allwright and Chris Hollins, the BBC’s resident team of simpleton tabloid ‘investigators’, returned to save us from our own stupidity in the first episode of The Food Inspectors (BBC One, 8pm).
In his usual over the top fashion, Matt scolded viewers for being responsible for food poisoning due to our filthy kitchen habits. Matt’s style of shouty delivery ensures everyone in the room can’t escape his simple message, even your deaf Nan.
4 million viewers actually tuned in to watch Tweedledum and Tweedledumber pretend they were real life journalists (and not just there to create sensationalist noise in order to distract the nation before Sir David Attenborough came on). The selfless and life-saving show -nay, crusade – captured a 17% audience share.
ITV1 offered up another two-hour romp through the idyllic country side as the fifteenth series of Midsomer Murders (8pm) continued. This week CI Barnaby and Sgt Jones had to track down a serial killer who murdered a member of the Chess Club!
5.7 million viewers caught up with the penultimate episode, set in a fictitious county that rivals Maine’s Cabot Cove for fairly abysmal life expectancy. The latest round of twee slashing captured a 23% audience share.
The big guns were rolled out for the 9pm show down, with Channel 4 bringing us the latest additions to the human race in One Born Every Minute. The masochistic and downright scary documentary brought in 2 million viewers for the channel and an 8% share.
The maternity drama was overshadowed by Channel 5’s strongest recent performer. Celebrity Big Brother saw former…something or other…and current full time attention seeker Paula Hamilton get the boot. 2.1 million viewers tuned in to see the dramatic exit, resulting in a 9% share.
It was Sir David Attenborough’s second episode of Africa (BBC One, 9pm) that prospered in the prime time slot, with a 23% share. This week, the attention and shiny HD cameras were focused on the Savannah. The audience fell slightly, down from 6.5 to 5.7 million week on week but the beautifully shot documentary easily walked away with the 9pm slot.
ITV1 performed well earlier on in the evening with Emmerdale netting 7.4 million viewers at 7pm. The trend continued with a solo visit to Coronation Street at 7:30pm.
In an act of madness, the actors ignored any pre water shed sensibilities and featured a scene in which Gail and elderly lover Lewis discussed the possibility of moving forward with their flourishing sex life. There has to be laws against this type of filth.
8.9 million viewers were permanently scared at the mere thought, making it the most watched show of the entire day. ITV1’s carnivale of grotesque secured a 39% audience share, despite the fact that most of them must have felt mentally violated.
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.