MediaWeek
The battle of the reality shows continued over the weekend with no sure-fire winner as Celebrity Love Island continues to challenge Big Brother for ratings.
Big Brother’s Friday night eviction saw 4 million viewers, one in four of the audience, tune in to watch Lesley announced as the second housemate to be evicted at 9pm and 4.7 million tune in to watch Lesley leave the house.
Up against Big Brother at 9pm Celebrity Love Island fared well, attracting 3.4 million viewers, a 17.3% share of the audience.
Saturday’s instalment of Big Brother at 9.25pm drew an audience of 3.3 million (16.7% share) losing out to ITV1’s crime drama Murder in Suburbia, which attracted 4.6 million viewers 23.7% share).
Later on ITV1, 3.4 million viewers, more than one in five of the audience, tuned in to watch the latest storm ravaged instalment of Celebrity Love Island at 10.25pm.
Earlier on BBC One, 2.4 million viewers (15.2% share) watched England’s Women’s Euro 2005 campaign come to end as they were beaten 1-0 by Sweden.
Later on BBC One went head-to-head with Channel 4 for their Saturday night films.
BBC One’s nuclear thriller The Peacemaker starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman won hands down, attracting 3.3 million viewers, one in five of the audience at 9.45pm.
Channel 4’s film, Guy Ritchie’s slick gangster heist Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, helped draw an audience of 2 million (14.6% share) after Big Brother at 10.15pm.
Sunday night’s reality fix saw Big Brother and Love Island in different time slots but with similar ratings.
Big Brother, at 9pm on Channel 4, attracted 3.9 million viewers (16.5% share) and Celebrity Love Island drew an audience of 3.8 million, more than one in five of the audience at 10.20pm on ITV1.
Over on BBC One on Sunday night 4.7 million viewers (19.8% share) tuned in to watch David Dimbleby continue his artistic journey in Suffolk, looking at the mill stream immortalised in John Constable’s Hay Wain.
By Amanda Lennon
