Ratings Focus: ITV1's The Children
- Published: 10 September 2008 16:25
- Author: Chris Curtis
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- Last Updated: 11 September 2008 11:35
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ITV1 scores a hit with new three-parter The Children.
ITV1's drama three-parter The Children marks a return to grittier subject matter after the froth of Rock Rivals and The Palace - and it appears to be paying off in the ratings.
The first two episodes have been up against two of the BBC's biggest guns, New Tricks and Dragons' Den, but have held up well. The first episode of the series, which stars Lewis's Kevin Whatley as a man suspected of the murder of a young girl, grabbed 4.9 million/20% share at 9pm on 1 September.
It clearly struck a chord with viewers, with barely any deserting the second instalment to return to the popular BBC shows. It attracted 4.7 million/21% on 8 September at the same 9pm slot.
But gritty subjects haven't fared quite as well for BBC2. Its current run of drama singles has had reasonable reviews, but they remain niche in terms of audiences.
My Zinc Bed attracted only 1 million (4.4%) between 9pm and 10.20pm on 27 August, despite starring Uma Thurman, and Hat Trick's Auschwitz drama, God on Trial, attracted 700,000/3% over 90 minutes at 9pm the following week. This compares with the 2.2 million/9.6% slot average for the year so far.
