TV Overnights: Strippers + Corrie = ratings success
Thursday’s soap drip-feed kicked off with EastEnders (BBC One, 7:30pm) as Dot and Shirley took a quiet evening in to a depressing new level. While Alfie and Roxy were acting like naive teenagers in heat at the Queen Vic, Shirley and her new best friend (a 76 year old) thought it’d be a good idea to re-watch the video of Heather’s hen do. 7.2 million people joined in the misery fest as the dead horse continued to be flogged. This didn’t put off viewers though as EastEnders scored the biggest audience share out of all of Thursday night’s soaps, with 34%.
Two episodes gave us barely enough time to fit in all the latest drama from the Dales, with the second episode of Emmerdale (ITV1, 8pm) giving EastEnders a run for its money. 6.6 million people tuned in to see a nervous Nicola meet her son for the first time since she gave him up for adoption. Megan was distraught as Robbie threw a wobbly, telling her he wants nothing to do with her, capturing a 30% share. Abandoned children can be so prickly these days. Oh, and Nicola caught chickenpox.
The latest drama from Coronation Street (ITV1, 8:30pm) captured the biggest audience of the night as Nick Tilsley’s attempt to forget his lady problems ended up simply creating more. We’ve all been there – you take your recently dumped brother for a sleazy night out, only to find his ex-missus sliding semi-naked around a pole for money. 7.6 million viewers watched as Nick rushed his half-brother out the door before he spotted Kylie. The episode scored a 33% audience share as the action must have taken place in one of Manchester’s more family friendly strip bars; bizarrely there was hardly a bare midriff in sight.
BBC Two attempted to net the high-brow crowd with The Great Euro Crash with Robert Peston at 9pm. Why get caught up in the silly goings on of fictitious characters when the BBC’s business editor can SCARE you for an hour by being as heavy handed as possible and grimmer than Dot Branning on a Thursday night? Robert Peston, who has made his career go stratospheric by scaremongering and dramatising the financial crisis, turns his eye to the history (and feasibly, the short future) of the Euro, secured 1.6 million viewers (a 7% share).
ITV1’s broken family band-aid show returned after a week off (with the stench of BGT still in the air) and improved slightly on the previously aired episode’s ratings. Long Lost Family (9pm) saw Davina McCall and Nicky Campell attempt to heal the harsh, jagged wounds of family amendment and loss with winning smiles. 4.5 million viewers tuned in to see an 11-year old track down her birth mum on national television, securing a 20% audience share.
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.