UK TV Chart - w/e 21st June 2009

Here's the rundown of the Top 20 most popular UK TV programmes or series for the week ending Sunday 21st June 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)..............8.76 *
2) Top Gear (BBC2).......................7.86
3) EastEnders (BBC1).....................7.67 *
4) Emmerdale (ITV1)......................6.12 *
5) Casualty (BBC1).......................5.90
6) Holby City (BBC1).....................5.26
7) The Bill (ITV1).......................5.22 *
8) All Star Mr & Mrs (ITV1)..............4.84
9) Kingdom (ITV1)........................4.76
10) Hotel Babylon (BBC1)..................4.72
11) Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
(BBC1)......4.70
12) National Lottery Draws(BBC1,Sat)......4.60
13) Spain: Paradise Lost (ITV1)...........4.50
14) Celebrity Masterchef (BBC1)...........4.36 *
15) (Doc Martin (ITV1).....................4.30
15) (The Royal (ITV1)......................4.30
17) Occupation (BBC1).....................4.29 *
18) New Tricks (BBC1).....................4.25
19) Forumula One: British Grand Prix
(BBC1)....4.21
20) Countryfile (BBC1)....................4.12

Chart commentary: A fairly routine summer chart rundowm without much of interest with figures falling as the temperature rises. The petrolheads of Top Gear storm back with an extraordinary rating placing their BBC2 show at slot 2 in the chart and interesting to see The Bill continue its resurgence, climbing steadily up the chart and slowly increasing its numbers; it bodes well for its forthcoming 9pm once-a-week relaunch. Some of the positions in this week's chart are a bit misleading as multi-episode shows like Celebrity Mastechief and the BBC's brilliant Occuaption saw an episode or two outside the Top 20 so their average and position are based on the available figures for the episodes which made their networks's respective Top 30s. If figures for all episodes were available neither of these shows would be likely to feature in the Top 20 at all - particularly disappointing for a quality drama like Occupation and, possibly concerning for the forthcoming Torchwood five-nighter.