TV Overnights: Strictly repetitive…overly familiar weekend shows garner 10m for BBC and ITV
BBC’s Strictly continued to dominate the weekend, although ITV’s I’m a Celebrity wasn’t too far behind in the race. Meanwhile, The X Factor (while it’s a far way off from being dragged around the back and shot) seems to be trapped in the stalls from the off.
Friday
As usual, ITV1 kicked off the weekend as it meant to go on – with plenty of soap and reality options to fill up the schedule. Emmerdale kicked things off at 7pm as poor Katie somehow got herself trapped down a well, just like little Timmy O’Toole from The Simpsons. 6.9 million viewers watched as Declan’s inane rescue attempts made things significantly worse, resulting in a 34% share.
This rural emergency paved the way for the urban psychosis that followed on Coronation Street at 7:30pm. Friday’s double episode saw violent ninny Kirsty grow in strength, after she was reported to the police by Fiz. Just like Jedi Master Obi Wan, Kirsty became more powerful when she was struck down mutating in to full-on soap psycho bitch over the two episodes.
7.8 million viewers watched the first episode, securing a 35% share. Unusually, the later episode at 8:30pm pulled in more people – an audience of 8 million viewers (the share remained at 35%) watched as the battle lines between Kirsty and Fiz were well and truly drawn. Christmas dinner should prove interesting.
Meanwhile, over on EastEnders (BBC One, 8pm), the jazz hands and ‘frightened’ expressions were flying about the place as star-crossed cousins, Joey and Lauren, decided to take Max’s car for a drive. Through their local pound shop. The soap’s latest big budget stunt brought in BBC One’s biggest audience of the day with 7.3 million viewers and a 32% share.
Later on ITV1, the usual array of jungle hijinks secured the largest audience of the day for the channel. 8.6 million viewers (an 37% share) watched as Linda Robson bagged the cheque for her daughter’s wedding on her way out the door. The jobbing actress became the third person to get the chop from, what is essentially, a really easy version of Fear Factor.
Saturday
Saturday brought yet more telephone voting, pleading from needy nobodies and success based purely on popularity. Strictly Come Dancing got things moving along on BBC One at 6:40pm. After last week’s temporary move to Wembley Stadium, there was a bit of a come down in store as the ‘beautiful’ people had to make do running around the bog-standard BBC studios.
A shocking 10.3 million viewers watched the final eight dancers show off their stuff, with the desperation growing as the weeks go by. An audience share of 42% tuned in to see retired cricketer Michael Vaughan and lady cyclist, Victoria Pendleton, face the dance-off netting the biggest audience of the entire weekend.
Wizard hats and Camelot flags were flown at half-mast over the weekend as news of Merlin‘s certain demise was announced by the cruel overlords at the BBC. 11 and 12 years olds all across the country managed to pull themselves together to make up the 24% audience share that tuned in for sixth last episode ever. 5.8 million people watched through teary eyes as Merlin fought a dragon with magic, I’m guessing.
Dependable as a sturdy NHS crutch but just as undesirable, Casualty (BBC One) followed straight afterwards at 8:55pm. The latest round of dramatic mishaps garnered 3.7 million viewers and a 15% share.
Both these drama shows were up against something called The X Factor on ITV1. The premise is as follows – a number of contrived, deluded and functional singers pretend they’re in a soap and try to manipulative sympathy from strangers through the medium of karaoke.
And it seems ITV1 have a hit on their hands. The unique format captured the imagination of 8 million viewers (a 33% share), the channel’s second biggest show of the day.
Later on the same channel was I’m a Celebrity at 9:45pm. The format is almost identical to The X Factor, although the singing is thankfully dispensed with. 8 million people tuned in for Saturday night’s portion of good old fashioned outdoor fun, netting a 36% share.
Sunday
The madness that is Sunday evening kicked off at 6:40pm on BBC One as Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury tore up West Somerset. Episode 1187 of Countryfile saw the reckless duo meet a group of people who have been preparing for the return of the great storm. Last seen in 1703. 7.4 million veiwers caught up with all the latest gossip and scandal down Somerset way.
Dark clouds of sadness descended over the entire country yesterday evening…we’ve finally come to it. The end of Sunday’s one-hour portion of happiness came too quickly for some. Thankfully, here at the end of all things we had Holly Willoughby’s blazing white smile guiding through the darkness.
The rebooted version of Surprise Surprise (ITV1,7pm) saw Cilla transformed into a deluxe Xanax-eyed sex doll, culled the theme toooon but stuck with the familiar format. The final episode of the current series saw Holly reunite a worried student with a stapler, the standard adoption storyline and unleashed the smug horror that is Olly Murs on unsuspecting children.
4 million viewers tuned in to see members of the public manipulated into crying, purely for our entertainment. The tears of profit also managed to capture a 16% share.
It was back over to BBC One at 7:20pm for the results of Strictly Come Dancing. Personality vacuum Victoria Pendleton claimed she was’ pushed outside her comfort zone’ with her salsa. In fairness, Robbie Williams’ music is outside most sane people’s comfort zone. 10 million people (a 39% share) watched the cyclist take her dismissal with some relief, making up the day’s biggest audience.
OMG, OMG! 8pm brought The X Factor Results on ITV1. Did your favourite boyband get the chop?!?!? Who was going to go? After the ridiculous international success of Cowell’s last boys-with-really-stupid-hair band it was no surprise to see the band remain and gangly oxygen thief Rylan (you spelt it wrong) Clarke being sent on his way. 9 million viewers caught up with the hour-long promotion for Rhianna and Bruno Mars’ new single, resulting in a 34% share.
9pm brought a Time Lord’s departure on I’m a Celebrity (ITV1). 9.5 million viewers tuned in to see former Doctor Who, Colin Baker, being eliminated and bagging a 37% share in the process.
Over on BBC One at 9pm, scary mystery The Secret of Crickley Hall (Crickley sounds like creaky btw) advanced the story slightly with the second epsidoe. Signs are good for the three part show as all of the original audience of 5.3 million came back to have more mysteries revealed.
Channel 4 helped us escape a weekend of recycled formats by bringing us the eight series of Peep Show at 10pm (Sunday night – seriously?!). The sitcom, which makes you feel so much better about your own life, attracted a measly 951,000 viewers and a 4.2% share. It will be interesting to see how in the coming weeks the 4oD service swells the excellent show’s reach.
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.