TV Overnights: Nigella’s return nabs 2.6m for BBC Two
Last night saw the return to our screens of Nigella Lawson and her laboured whisk-licking shtick, for the first time since Nigella Kitchen in 2010.
In that time the playful pantry-dweller has busied herself by sniffing out Oregano and Basil by the truckload, in order to bring us easy-to-cook traditional Italian recipes (obviously it helps if you buy the tie-in book too). Does the nation really need to be guided through the process of preparing spaghetti?
Although, this kind of explains why the new show has been named Nigellissima (BBC Two, 8:30pm), it doesn’t explain how that one got past a focus group. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (oow err, etc.) Nigella’s plunge into italiano nourishment netted a 10% audience share for BBC Two, with 2.6 million people lured in by the her specific siren’s call (an intense, lingering look while squashing meatballs furiously).
Only a few weeks after JR firmly secured his famous Stetson back on his head after many years, EastEnders (BBC One, 8pm) treated us to an iconic moment of their own. Last night saw Phil Mitchell and Sharon (whatever she is now) return to the Queen Vic, a place that surely must hold so many blissful memories for them both. As news spread that Ben ‘The Hevver Slayer’ Mitchell was been tried for murder, Phil’s famous bar-side manner returned with a vengeance.
Meanwhile, Sharon opened up about her addiction to pills and sought some help at the community centre. 7.4 million viewers (a30% share) watched as Sharon fought of an outset of happy memories as she settled back into life at the Vic. This will probably not end well.
Earlier on ITV1, was the first in a double helping of Coronation Street which saw Kirtsy struggling to deal with the early days of motherhood. Cracking under the pressure of caring for a new born, the Street’s very own version of The Incredible Hulk threw one of her trademarks paddys.
While her vicious attacks against dim-witted Tyrone has been the stuff of hilarity over the past few months, last night saw Kirsty cross the line, putting baby Ruby in danger. The episode at 7:30pm drew in the day’s biggest audience as 7.8 million viewers watched as Tyrone returned home to find 9 Coronation Street had been visited by an unnatural disaster, resulting in a 34% share.
Things were slightly calmer at 8:30pm as baby Ruby got the all clear from a doctor. This led Tyrone to have some kind of sensible neural activity that led him to tell Fiz the whole truth (frying pans across the head and everything). 7.7 million viewers watched as Fiz comforted her old friend, resulting in a 31% share.
9pm brought us the UCOS team, who were once again knee-deep in sticky mystery, for the latest case in New tricks (BBC One). The gang were up against their mortal enemy, with no sign of hope. Sherlock has Moriarty, He-Man has Skeletor, EastEnders battles against logic on regular basis.
Last night Sandra and the old dogs looked modern technology straight in the eye and survived. The gang has to ask for the aid of a young good-for-nothing computer person, carrying a defeated look as a result. An amazing 7.5 million viewers tuned in for the latest round of old school sass, securing a 30% share.
After three long weeks of promising ITV’s series Leaving, (about a woman’s frankly wasted mid-life crisis), finally left. The final episode in this tale of rudimentary adultery saw broken hearted Julie break off her ‘exciting’ relationship with a very young wet drip and return to her humdrum life of responsibility, domestic chores and putting up with her horribly unspontaneous husband and daughter.
She then ran back to said toyboy after the hovering became a bit too much. The finale brought in the same amount of viewers as the first episode, with 3.7 million people tuning in to see how it would all turn out.