TV Overnights: Midsomer Murders returned on a 6.5m high

ITV1’s Midsomer Murders returned with a high of more than 6.5 million viewers during the peak-slot last night.

The long-running crime drama, which stars John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby, secured 6.3 million average viewers and a 24.9% audience share between 8pm and 10pm.

Elsewhere, BBC One’s new Wednesday evening line-up saw the return of Rogue Traders with Matt Allwright.  The real-life exposure programme pulled in more than 4 million viewers and a 16.1% average audience share between 8pm and 9pm.

The channel’s new Cars, Cops and Criminals show followed with 3.6 million viewers and a 14.5% average audience share during the 9pm to 10pm peak-hour.

At the same time, Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies continued with 3.2 million average viewers and a 12.9% share, while Five’s popular NCIS pulled in 1.5 million viewers and a 6% share.

BBC Two’s Horizon: To Infinity and Beyond, meanwhile, picked up 1.2 million viewers and a 5% share between 9pm and 10pm.

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.