TV Weekly Viewing Summary W/E 12/01/97

Coronation Street returns to the top this week, recapturing the top two places from Eastenders. Emmerdale continues to build a solid following, this week holding eighth, ninth, and tenth place giving ITV a slight edge over the BBC in holding six of the top ten places.

ITV drama continues to do well, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Catherine Cookson’s The Wingless Bird, and Rebecca all backing up the network’s flagship London’s Burning. While the BBC may not be so successful in variety of drama, it still holds the ace card, with Casualty again the only drama to feature in the top ten this week achieving an audience of 13.99 million. The X Files which had in the previous week entered the top thirty for the first time with a respectable 10.80 million has failed to make its mark for a second week, and has dropped back out of the chart having only achieved a more typical audience this week of 9.02 million.

The return of the Brittas Empire, and the inclusion of Incredible Journeys both of which enter the top thirty will certainly give the BBC some new year hope. Over on Channel Four the usually almost guaranteed order of the top ten has been broken this week with a new series of E.R. shooting straight to the number two spot in the channel’s own chart.

ITV’s policy of a broad spectrum of entertainment including a revival in old style light entertainment continues with Shirley Bassey celebrating her birthday in style on ITV, and proving her continuing popularity in achieving an audience of nearly 10 million.

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