Apple Tree Yard, an adaptation of Louise Doughty’s novel about a doctor who has a seemingly random affair, kicked off BBC One’s new season of Sunday night drama last month.
Starring Emily Watson as Dr Yvonne Carmichael and Ben Chaplin as the mysterious Mark Costley (pictured), the four-part mini series drew in 7 million viewers.
Meanwhile, Death in Paradise returned to our screens in January, giving viewers another dose of sun soaked Caribbean murder mysteries.
The début of series six, which saw DI Humphrey Goodman and the team investigating the death of a scientist on the side of a live volcano, was watched by an average audience of 9.3 million – the highest viewing figures since the show launched in 2011.
Over on ITV, the commercial broadcaster’s love affair with period dramas shows no sign of abating with the première of eight-part The Halcyon launching in January.
Set during World War II in a five-star hotel at the centre of London society, the opening episode launched with 5.9 million viewers.
January also saw the transfer of singing contest The Voice from BBC One to ITV. Retaining Welsh music legend Tom Jones, Black Eyed Peas singer Will.I.Am and adding new coaches Jennifer Hudson and Gavin Rossdale, the reality show got off to a good start with 6.6 million viewers.
The second series of crime drama Unforgotten hit the small screen in January, once again starring Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar as the police officers on the trail of a murder.
The highest rating was recorded by the second episode of the series, with an average of 5.6 million people watching.
Other shows that did well in January include: the most watched programme of the month Sherlock, which had 11.3 million viewers; Endeavour, watched by just under 6.3 million people; the New Year’s Day special of Mrs Brown’s Boys, seen by 8.8 million viewers; Spy in the Wild, watched by 6.2 million and Call The Midwife, the second highest rated programme of January with 9.9 million viewers.
Top Programmes (excluding soaps):
| Sorting | Programme | On Air Date | Genre | Station | Start / End | Viewers (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHERLOCK | Sunday 1 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 20:29-21:58 | 11.34 |
| 2 | CALL THE MIDWIFE | Sunday 29 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 20:01-20:59 | 9.89 |
| 3 | DEATH IN PARADISE | Thursday 5 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:58 | 9.26 |
| 4 | MRS BROWN’S BOYS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL | Sunday 1 January 2017 | Comedy | BBC1 | 22:00-22:34 | 8.78 |
| 5 | SILENT WITNESS | Monday 16 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:01-21:59 | 8.56 |
| 6 | COUNTRYFILE | Sunday 29 January 2017 | Factual | BBC1 | 18:30-19:30 | 7.29 |
| 7 | APPLE TREE YARD | Sunday 22 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:01-21:59 | 7.01 |
| 8 | TABOO | Saturday 7 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:15-22:10 | 7.00 |
| 9 | LET IT SHINE | Saturday 7 January 2017 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 19:00-20:23 | 7.00 |
| 10 | STILL OPEN ALL HOURS | Sunday 29 January 2017 | Comedy | BBC1 | 19:31-20:00 | 6.80 |
| 11 | THE VOICE UK | Saturday 7 January 2017 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 20:02-21:33 | 6.64 |
| 12 | ANTIQUES ROADSHOW | Sunday 8 January 2017 | Factual | BBC1 | 19:30-20:28 | 6.51 |
| 13 | ENDEAVOUR | Sunday 8 January 2017 | Drama | ITV | 20:02-21:57 | 6.27 |
| 14 | SPY IN THE WILD | Thursday 12 January 2017 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:01-20:59 | 6.22 |
| 15 | THE HALCYON | Monday 2 January 2017 | Drama | ITV | 21:00-22:00 | 5.88 |
| 16 | MIDSOMER MURDERS | Wednesday 11 January 2017 | Drama | ITV | 20:03-21:57 | 5.85 |
| 17 | CASUALTY | Saturday 7 January 2017 | Drama | BBC1 | 20:24-21:14 | 5.80 |
| 18 | SIX O’CLOCK NEWS | Tuesday 3 January 2017 | News | BBC1 | 18:00-18:29 | 5.80 |
| 19 | UNFORGOTTEN | Thursday 12 January 2017 | Drama | ITV | 21:02-22:00 | 5.64 |
| 20 | TINA & BOBBY | Friday 13 January 2017 | Drama | ITV | 20:59-21:58 | 5.64 |
Sky vs Freeview (share):
| Sky | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 23.83 | 26.63 | 2.80 |
| BBC2 | 5.13 | 7.20 | 2.08 |
| ITV | 13.23 | 15.30 | 2.08 |
| Channel 4 | 4.90 | 5.05 | 0.15 |
| Channel 5 | 6.78 | 3.93 | -2.85 |
| Others | 46.15 | 41.80 | -4.35 |
Sky vs Cable Digital (share):
| Sky | Cable Digital | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 23.83 | 24.70 | 0.88 |
| BBC2 | 5.13 | 5.23 | 0.10 |
| ITV | 13.23 | 13.93 | 0.70 |
| Channel 4 | 4.90 | 5.80 | 0.90 |
| Channel 5 | 6.78 | 4.78 | -2.00 |
| Others | 46.15 | 45.63 | -0.53 |
Cable Digital vs Freeview (share):
| Cable Digital | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 24.70 | 26.63 | 1.93 |
| BBC2 | 5.23 | 7.20 | 1.98 |
| ITV | 13.93 | 15.30 | 1.38 |
| Channel 4 | 5.80 | 5.05 | -0.75 |
| Channel 5 | 4.78 | 3.93 | -0.85 |
| Others | 45.63 | 41.80 | -3.83 |
