I’m a Celebrity clash sees The Apprentice fall by -21%
For the first time since it reared its maggot-infested head on Sunday, last night brought the first real competition for the latest series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (9pm) as the histrionics of the jungle went head to head with Lord Sugar’s hoard of mindless marketers.
The third episode of ITV’s mash up of Survivor and Neil Buchanan’s Finders Keepers received plenty of free publicity since it last broadcast on Monday, hoping to top an impressive Sunday night debut audience of 10 million viewers.
Last night’s hour and a half catch-up session saw constantly contrary Essex lass Gemma Collins ride a mascara-soaked roller-coaster of emotions, with the silence of the jungle seeing her struggle with her own thoughts while holed up in the celebrity slammer.
An audience share of 34% watched as the excessive drama and tears paid off, with Gemma being chosen to join the main camp before deciding that she had actually had enough.
A little under 8 million viewers tuned in to see Gemma struggle with the very basics while Nadia Forde and Craig Charles were forced to spend a night in a grotty pest-ridden shed, securing Wednesday’s biggest audience for ITV.
Over on BBC One, the contestants of The Apprentice (9pm) entered the urban jungle of the Big Apple as Lord Sugar sent some of his wunderkind business prodigies to jump on that fizzy pop bandwagon that’s been taking off lately.
With one half of the teams asked to stay in London to actually create the drink, the remainders were sent to New York to shoot an advert, opening up a whole new world of opportunity for the carnival of cringe.
The tenth series of the show opened up with 6.7 million back in mid-October but settling around the 6.4 million mark for last week’s board game board room disaster. The contestants’ biggest challenge last night wasn’t just the ungodly soft drinks they created but the wailing spectre floating about the jungle.
The reality show clash saw the audience for The Apprentice fall by -23% compared to the first episode and a -21% drop week on week. In total a little over 5 million viewers watched the Manhattan-based catastrophe, netting a 21% share.
Over on Channel 4, the second series about moneyed people wot shop continued as Liberty of London (9pm) managed to become even more pretentious under the glare of a special fashion night.
The workplace documentary, which frequently feels like a really off-putting advertisement, pulled in just 618,000 viewers and a 3% share.
As a cautionary side dish to Channel 4’s tale about gaudy and expensive wares, Channel 5 had a more down-to-earth documentary about mere humans getting carried away with the retail experience.
9pm saw the second series of Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away come to an end (and not due to the lack of willing participants – these sad tales literally write themselves) with a little over 1 million viewers and a 4% share jumping on board the downer express.
On BBC Two, man-of-the-people Michael Portillo’s epic free holiday continued, with the latest Great Continental Railway Journeys (9pm) bringing him to Poland, and along side him over 2 million viewers and an 8% share.
At the same time, terminal youth channel BBC Three offered up the final episode of the documentary about ‘real’ everyday folk, People Like Us (9pm). The fourth and final episode said goodbye to the extrovert characters of the Birmingham council estate and secured 89,000 viewers and a 0.4% share.
Earlier at 8pm, the final series of school drama Waterloo Road (BBC One) was watched by 2.5 million, while Holly Willoughby’s latest bout of do-goodery on Surprise Surprise (ITV) bagged an audience of 3.8 million viewers.
Last night’s soap glory belonged squarely to ITV, with The Archers turned The Sopranos drama, Emmerdale, securing over 6 million viewers and a 31% share.
A trip to Coronation Street (ITV, 7:30pm) was on the cards afterwards, as Steve McDonald’s erratic behaviour continued.
7.2 million viewers watched as his missus was pushed to the edge as she learned of his purchase of an antiquated sports car. The latest step in the soap’s long-form plot dealing with Steve’s depression took in a 34% 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. Overnight data supplied by TRP are based on 15 minute slot averages. This may differ from tape checked figures, which are based on a programme’s actual start and end time.
To get all the latest MediaTel Newsline updates follow us on Twitter.