Marcella wins 9pm window for ITV despite continued decline

Monday night saw seriously muddled and highly dangerous copper Marcella (9pm) stagger confusedly back onto the nation’s screens, with the third episode of the Scandinavian-tainted thriller securing the 9pm – 10pm slot for ITV, despite a third week of declining ratings.

Yesterday saw the continuation of the troubled detective’s investigation into a serial killer, who might actually turn out to be Marcella herself due to a penchant for frequent and violent rage-induced blackouts.

The refreshingly barmy crime drama debuted two weeks ago to an audience of 5.8 million viewers, but the twist-filled, paranoia-fuelled roller-coaster fell to 5.2 million viewers for the second week.

While an initial week-on-week fall is to be expected for any new drama, last night’s noticeable continuation of this trend is a concerning matter for ITV especially with the show generating some good buzz and facing very little competition.

4.4 million viewers watched last night as Marcella‘s week got a little worse as the body of a woman was found on Hampstead Heath, with a 21% share tuning in to see if our heroine was the culprit.

Over on Channel 4, things went from bad to worse on The Island with Bear Grylls at 9pm, where the unisex group getting dangerously close to starvation.

1.9 million viewers tuned in for the perfect hour of escapism, with the weakened souls’ latest struggles securing a 9% share for Channel 4.

There was some closure on offer over on BBC Two, although it wasn’t of the satisfying kind. After ten long weeks of stranger-than-fiction legal practising on American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson (9pm), the recreation of ‘the trial of the century’, came to an end.

Featuring memorable performances from all of its main cast (and John Travolta’s hypnotic eyebrows), the show attempted to make some sense of the story behind the headlines, highlighting how everyone involved in the case was personally affected, regardless of the outcome.

1.7 million viewers tuned in for the opening episode, back in mid-February, with last night’s historic outcome attracting 1.1 million viewers and a 5% share for BBC Two.

Over on Channel 5, TFL workers faced a night from hell as the latest episode of The Tube: Going Underground (9pm) looked at the joys of drunken passengers on New Year’s Eve. An audience of 963,000 viewers watched as escalators were used a public toilets, resulting in a 5% share.

There was a double dosage of ‘comedy’ over on BBC One with the launch of two new shows. Peter Kay’s Comedy Shuffle (9pm) saw the popular comedian take a look back over his career, in the first of six instalments.

4.5 million viewers joined Kay on his jaunt down memory lane, with the episode focusing on the Geraldine McQueen and Brian Potter characters helping secure a 21% share.

Completing the hour of hilarity was Ben Miller and his new ‘sitcom’, I Want My Wife Back, an odd tale of a man trying to win back the woman that escaped his dullness. 3.5 million viewers and a 16% share tuned in.

Earlier in the day, another Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green (8pm) successfully filled the gap between ITV’s soaps, with the latest wander about bringing in 2.7 million viewers and a 12% share.

Meanwhile, ISIS and the Missing Treasures: Channel 4 Dispatches (8pm) brought in 660,000 viewers and a 3% share while Channel 5’s Police Interceptors (8pm) was watched by 836,000 viewers and a 4% share.

Dotted about on BBC One was a double dollop of Masterchef, for some reason. The 7:30pm episode was watched by 3.9 million viewers and increased to 4.1 million for the 8:30pm outing.

As usual, Monday’s overload of soapy drama took the top four spots. ITV’s Emmerdale took fourth place at 7pm, netting 5.8 million viewers, while the 8:30pm helping of Coronation Street bagged 6.1 million viewers.

BBC One’s EastEnders was in second place at 8pm, with an audience of 6.6 million, while the 7:30pm episode of Coronation Street took the top spot with 6.8 million viewers and a 33% 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.