TV Overnights: Sunshine & happiness secures Wednesday’s biggest audience for EastEnders
The moment at least 50% of the United Kingdom has been waiting for finally arrived: a whole night free of football. With the group stages of Euro 2012 wrapping up on Tuesday, Wednesday brought a sense of normality to the TV schedule. Which, in ratings terms, meant soaps, legal dramas and ‘factual’ entertainment.
What better way to celebrate than a whole hour of teatime psychodrama on BBC One? As Janine experienced the sorriest hen do in TV history, a fragile Jean Slater finally saw a chance to weaken her psychological and financial tormentor by destroying one of Michael’s Horcruxes. Distracting him with a touch of rudimentary psychology, Jean saw her chance to grab his St. Christopher medal and flush it down the toilet.
7.4 million viewers watched as Jean momentarily broke down his evil powers and made him promise he’d publicly tell everyone the truth in the Queen Vic. As you do. EastEnders (BBC One, 8pm) secured an audience share of 34% as Jean’s plan fell apart and she ended the episode curled up on the floor crying. Again.
The intense goings-on in Albert Square brought the biggest average audience of the night to BBC One. The absence of football seems to have benefited the grim soap, pulling in audiences it witnessed before the tournament began. In the long, long ago.
Half an hour earlier, events were slightly less distressing over on Coronation Street (ITV1, 7:30pm). Karl and Stella’s relationship imploded when she found a wad of cash (is this the same one doing the rounds?) but nobody really cares at this stage. In a rare moment of defeat, the Northern soap was the nation’s number two programme of the night, with underdog EastEnders securing a random victory.
7 million viewers watched as Carla and Peter struggled to adapt to life without Simon. Don’t worry; he’s still alive, fully recovered from his small measure of red wine. Perhaps next time Carla could instead leave a large bottle of Jamaican Rum and brightly coloured painkillers lying around? Although a smaller audience tuned in than that of its rival, Coronation Street captured a larger audience share of 36%.
It was back to BBC One at 9pm for the conclusion of the second series of Silk. The well-received legal series started out strong six weeks ago with 5.6 million viewers and fell slowly from there. The final episode, which saw Martha defend a man responsible for the murder of a client, scored the lowest audience of the series, down to 4.2 million.
Over on Channel 4 24 Hours in A&E (9pm) once again proved a hit for the channel with 2.6 million viewers tuning in to see the latest casualties brought through the doors, including one woman with a Whitney Houston related injury.
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.