UK TV Charts - w/e 29th March 2009

Here's the rundown of the Top 20 most popular UK TV programmes or series for the week ending Sunday 29th March 2009 collated from information compiled and presented by BARB. Note that figures for multi-episode TV broadcasts (ie soaps or other shows with more than one episode per week) are rounded up into an average figure for the series and are denoted in the chart by * News broadcasts are excluded from the figures.


1) Coronation Street (ITV1)....................9.81 *
2) The Apprentice (BBC1).......................8.71
3) EastEnders (BBC1)...........................8.65 *
4) Lewis (ITV1)................................7.19
5) Emmerdale (ITV1)............................7.04 *
6) Casualty (BBC1).............................7.00
7) Law And Order:UK (ITV1).....................6.69
8) Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV1).................6.42
9) Robin Hood (BBC1)...........................6.20
10) National Lottery: 1 vs 100 (BBC1)...........6.15
11) Primeval (ITV1).............................5.89
12) Holby City (BBC1)...........................5.56
13) The Bill (ITV1).............................5.22 *
14) Rogue Traders (BBC1)........................5.18
15) Waterloo Road (BBC1)........................4.95
16) The One Show (BBC1).........................4.89 *
17) (Antiques Roadshow (BBC1)....................4.79
17) (Funniest Ever You've Been Framed! (ITV1)....4.79
19) Watchdog (BBC1).............................4.72
20) Mistresses (BBC1)...........................4.63

Chart commentary: Very much a drama-heavy Top 20 this week....which can only be a good thing in these recessionary times with drama budget cuts at the BBC and just drama cuts at ITV. The first episode of the third series of Saturday night favourites Robin Hood and Primeval fared quite well - both have fallen since, however, and of the two only Robin Hood looks set to hang on in the Top 20 in the next few weeks. Waterloo Road made a rare appearance in the top 20 and consolidates it with another one this week - its figures have risen by around 500,000 this series, giving it the momentum to propel itself into the top 20. BBC1's Sex And the City-lite drama Mistresses crawls back in at no 20 for its final (ever?) episode and the inexplicably-popular reality show The Apprentice storms in to no.2 on week one. "You're fired!" There we are - that's 'The Apprentice' for you, week after week...so what???