TV Overnights: MasterChef secures 9pm for BBC One as it crawls to a close
After seven long weeks and 21 episodes of competitive cooking and countless ‘journeys’, Tuesday night finally brought exhausted viewers a promise of the closure with MasterChef: The Final Three (BBC One, 9pm). But it was a bit too early to get excited as, tellingly, the finale was to be stretched out over three episodes.
The beginning of the end also saw the long-standing show slither up to the 9pm slot as knives were literally sharpened. The opening episode of series nine (but really series 19 – it’s a bit Doctor Who like that) attracted 4.2 million viewers in the middle of wintry March and proved to be a reliable audience pleaser in the following few weeks.
Last night’s first ‘final’ saw Gregg and John sniff their way around Dale, Larkin and Natalie’s wares and managed to pull in 4.9 million viewers. Along with a 21% share, the show secured the 9pm slot for BBC One.
In way of competition, Channel 4 gave us ambitious ‘weatherman’ Alex Beresford as he bravely presented clips of precarious meteorological conditions in The World’s Weirdest Weather (9pm). The mash up show – 95% Rude Tube, 5% something slightly educational – featured clips of bizarre weather from around the world, the highlight of which was a firenado. Yes, a firenado. Just over 1 million viewers tuned in for the event, resulting in a 5% share.
Earlier at 8pm, BBC One rolled out the little show that never fails to secure the time slot. As if by magic, 4.5 million viewers showed up for the latest weekly appointment in Holby City, the most exciting hospital the NHS has to offer. The latest capers featuring amorous medical professionals and thinly veiled public service announcements brought in a 20% share.
Up against the Casualty spin-off on Channel 4, the latest carnival of horror kicked off with Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic (8pm) in which kindly Doctor Christian selflessly helped educate us all about matters of health.
1.2 million viewers tuned in to snigger and recoil in terror as various members of the public took off their clothes on national television to share their ‘issues’ with us. The 5% share resulted in Channel 4’s biggest audience of the day.
Once again ITV’s evening schedule was clogged up with yet another semi-final second-leg battle of the UEFA Champions League (7:30pm), a tournament nearly as long-running as MasterChef itself. The latest match saw the German team Borussia Dortmund march upon the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Spain to face a lashing from Real Madrid.
4.3 million viewers tuned in for the entire 2.5 hour running time, resulting in a 19% share. The audience peaked at 5.1 million viewers fifteen minutes into play despite nothing happening. The drama peaked from the 80th minute onwards as Real Madrid scored two goals in the nick of time.
However, the aggregated score was 3-4, so in the end all the drama was for nothing. Very much like the soaps on offer earlier in the day.
Emmerdale (ITV) provided much needed frivolity before the game kicked off with an audience of 5.8 million tuning in at 7pm. Afterwards over on BBC One was the midweek trip to sunny Walford on EastEnders (7pm).
6.9 million viewers watched as Janine and Michael argued over who was the fittest parent and failed on both definitions of the term. The ongoing cycle of aggravation and despair attracted a 35% share and the 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.