TV viewing round-up: February 2017

Imagine a world in which we had lost the Battle of Britain and London was under Nazi occupation. Sounds wildly exciting – but too bad the BBC’s adaptation of Len Deighton’s alternative history novel SS-GB reveals it to be a pretty boring affair.

Set in 1941 in a very different-looking Britain overrun by Germans, the five-part series starring Kate Bosworth and Sam Riley still attracted 7.7 million people for its opening episode.

Elsewhere, ITV’s ratings banker Broadchurch returned for its third and apparently final series, once again starring David Tennant and BAFTA award winning Olivia Colman.

Following the mixed reception to the second series, this time around DI Hardy and DS Miller are investigating a sexual assault in a new story not tied to the show’s original premise.

The third series launched with an impressive audience of 10.3 million, enough to make it the second most-watched programme during February.

BBC One’s controversial dramatisation of the events surrounding the disappearance of 9-year-old Shannon Matthews also proved to be a big hit with viewers.

Featuring the ever reliable Sheridan Smith as Julie Bushby, the neighbour who led the initial search party for the missing child, the second of the two part drama The Moorside attracted the best viewing figure (10.2 million).

Sunday nights saw the arrival of new ITV drama The Good Karma Hospital, brightening up late winter television schedules with some sunny subcontinent locations.

Starring Amrita Acharia as a disillusioned junior doctor who leaves the UK for a job in South India, the six-part series launched with just under 6.9 million viewers.

Another new drama series hit the screens this February, with BBC One’s three-part mini series The Replacement.

Telling the tale of a pregnant architect whose personal and professional life is affected while training her maternity cover, the first episode pulled in 6.8 million viewers.

February also saw the return of northern hemisphere rugby’s premier tournament, Six Nations, with ITV and BBC One now into the second of their five-year joint coverage deal.

Coming out on top was BBC One’s coverage of the second round match between Wales v England – won in the dying minutes by the away side – with a rating of 6.5 million.

ITV’s first round match England v France, which also saw another narrow late win for England, grabbed a respectable average audience of 5.1 million.

Other programmes that did well in February include: Call The Midwife, attracting the biggest ratings of the month with 10.6 million; Death In Paradise, with 8.7 million viewers; The Voice UK, with 6.5 million viewers; The Real Marigold Hotel, 6 million and The Brit Awards watched by 5.6 million viewers.

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