So, our statistical omnibus fetches up at Horseferry Road, and for Channel Four’s viewing figures we’ve really pushed the boat out (Readers voice: “Hang on, is it a bus or a boat?”), nabbing data from as far back as 1998, which is as far back as BARB’s excellent ratings archive stretches. The whole thing takes in 17,535 shows, and means our copy of Excel is running about as fast as, oh we don’t know, Douglas Bader giving Rik Waller a piggyback. However, this does mean we can compile excellent charts like this:
Or even this:
Based on individual broadcasts, not different shows. The lack of Celebrity Big Brother in 2008 is quite noticeable, isn’t it?
We could kick off by bemoaning the recent output of the network, saying how it used to be truly bleeding edge in the olden days, but as it’s now one of the elder statesmen of this digital age, it seems to have a “broader remit”. That’s a polite way of saying “full of programmes for idiots”, in case you’re a viewer of The Kevin Bishop Show. But that would be spectacularly harsh, clearly. While the channel once proudly broadcast Absolutely, Vic Reeves Big Night Out, Nightingales, Father Ted, Brass Eye et al, it also played host to The Word, Mini Pops, The Word, Club X, RI:SE, The Word and The Word. While we now have to put up with Rude Tube whilst waiting for Peep Show, ten or so years ago there was DotComedy and no Peep Show. So there you go. Anyway, which show wins the battle of “most popular lazily compiled collection of things from the internet”?
One thing we do love Channel Four unreservedly for, They’ve made the annual reports for every year of the channel’s history available online, so we’re able to pepper the update with pictures of Men In Shirts. Pictures like this one, from 1983:
HOT TESTCARD CONTROL ROOM ACTION
Anyway, we’ll kick off the update by listing the hundred most-watched Channel Four broadcasts of the last 1.1 decades, as is now traditional. Just after this shot of the Union World team looking moody outside the TUC offices.
Yay, Bob Greaves!
| Rank | Show w/date | Million viewers |
| 1 | Big Brother Final (29/07/01) | 13.74 |
| 2 | Big Brother (28/07/02) | 10.01 |
| 3 | Friends (30/05/04) | 9.64 |
| 4 | Big Brother (17/09/00) | 9.45 |
| 5 | Big Brother (08/08/04) | 8.98 |
| 6 | Celebrity Big Brother (21/01/07) | 8.78 |
| 7 | Big Brother (28/07/02) | 8.54 |
| 8 | Big Brother (20/08/06) | 8.2 |
| 9 | Big Brother (21/07/02) | 8.01 |
| 10 | Big Brother (07/07/02) | 7.89 |
| 11 | Big Brother (17/09/00) | 7.87 |
| 12 | Big Brother (08/08/04) | 7.7 |
| 13 | Big Brother (14/08/05) | 7.65 |
| 14 | Celebrity Big Brother (21/01/07) | 7.61 |
| 15 | Celebrity Big Brother (24/11/02) | 7.6 |
| 16 | Big Brother (14/07/02) | 7.45 |
| 17 | Celebrity Big Brother (07/01/07) | 7.32 |
| 18 | Celebrity Big Brother (29/01/06) | 7.31 |
| 19 | Big Brother (21/07/02) | 7.24 |
| 20 | Big Brother (30/05/04) | 7.23 |
| 21 | Big Brother (27/07/03) | 7.23 |
| 22 | Peter Kay Live (08/08/04) | 7.2 |
| 23 | Big Brother (21/05/06) | 7.14 |
| 24 | Big Brother (14/07/02) | 7.07 |
| 25 | Big Brother (25/05/03) | 7.05 |
| 26 | Big Brother (28/07/02) | 7.04 |
| 27 | Big Brother (21/07/02) | 7.04 |
| 28 | Big Brother (07/07/02) | 7.01 |
| 29 | Big Brother (21/07/02) | 7 |
| 30 | Big Brother (20/06/04) | 6.95 |
| 31 | Big Brother (28/07/02) | 6.95 |
| 32 | Wife Swap (26/10/03) | 6.9 |
| 33 | Big Brother (20/08/00) | 6.87 |
| 34 | Big Brother (28/07/02) | 6.85 |
| 35 | Big Brother (21/07/02) | 6.83 |
| 36 | Big Brother (14/07/02) | 6.8 |
| 37 | Lost (14/08/05) | 6.75 |
| 38 | Lost (14/08/05) | 6.75 |
| 39 | Brookside (22/11/98) | 6.72 |
| 40 | Big Brother (20/06/04) | 6.7 |
| 41 | Celebrity Big Brother (08/01/06) | 6.68 |
| 42 | Big Brother (07/07/02) | 6.65 |
| 43 | Big Brother (14/08/05) | 6.63 |
| 44 | Big Brother (14/08/05) | 6.61 |
| 45 | Big Brother (23/06/02) | 6.6 |
| 46 | Celeb Big Brother (18/03/01) | 6.6 |
| 47 | Big Brother (03/06/07) | 6.59 |
| 48 | Big Brother (18/07/04) | 6.58 |
| 49 | Big Brother (01/08/04) | 6.57 |
| 50 | Big Brother (03/07/05) | 6.55 |
| 51 | Film: Bridget Jones's Diary (14/11/04) | 6.54 |
| 52 | Friends (28/07/02) | 6.52 |
| 53 | Big Brother (14/07/02) | 6.5 |
| 54 | Big Brother (16/06/02) | 6.49 |
| 55 | Friends (13/12/98) | 6.49 |
| 56 | Big Brother (30/06/02) | 6.48 |
| 57 | Big Brother (07/07/02) | 6.45 |
| 58 | Big Brother (14/07/02) | 6.44 |
| 59 | Big Brother (20/08/06) | 6.43 |
| 60 | Celebrity Wife Swap (16/11/03) | 6.43 |
| 61 | Big Brother (30/06/02) | 6.43 |
| 62 | Big Brother (30/06/02) | 6.42 |
| 63 | Big Brother (16/06/02) | 6.42 |
| 64 | Big Brother Live (08/08/04) | 6.41 |
| 65 | Big Brother (18/07/04) | 6.41 |
| 66 | Big Brother (17/07/05) | 6.4 |
| 67 | Big Brother (30/06/02) | 6.38 |
| 68 | Big Brother (18/06/06) | 6.35 |
| 69 | Big Brother (27/07/03) | 6.34 |
| 70 | Big Brother (14/07/02) | 6.32 |
| 71 | Big Brother (07/07/02) | 6.3 |
| 72 | Big Brother (16/06/02) | 6.3 |
| 73 | Wife Swap (19/10/03) | 6.28 |
| 74 | Big Brother (25/07/04) | 6.27 |
| 75 | Big Brother (18/07/04) | 6.27 |
| 76 | Big Brother (25/07/04) | 6.26 |
| 77 | Peter Kays Britain's Got The Pop Factor (12/10/08) | 6.25 |
| 78 | Jamie's Kitchen (15/12/02) | 6.25 |
| 79 | Big Brother (02/07/06) | 6.24 |
| 80 | Big Brother Live (13/06/04) | 6.24 |
| 81 | Big Brother (20/06/04) | 6.22 |
| 82 | Big Brother (30/06/02) | 6.21 |
| 83 | Big Brother (13/07/03) | 6.17 |
| 84 | Big Brother (16/07/06) | 6.16 |
| 85 | Celebrity Big Brother (29/01/06) | 6.16 |
| 86 | Brookside (09/01/00) | 6.15 |
| 87 | Big Brother (20/06/04) | 6.13 |
| 88 | Big Brother (23/06/02) | 6.12 |
| 89 | Big Brother (22/07/01) | 6.12 |
| 90 | Celeb Big Brother (18/03/01) | 6.11 |
| 91 | Brookside (12/11/00) | 6.11 |
| 92 | Celebrity Big Brother (29/01/06) | 6.09 |
| 93 | Big Brother (16/06/02) | 6.09 |
| 94 | Big Brother (04/07/04) | 6.07 |
| 95 | Big Brother (29/05/05) | 6.04 |
| 96 | Brookside (12/11/00) | 6.04 |
| 97 | Big Brother (28/07/02) | 6.03 |
| 98 | Big Brother (23/06/02) | 6.03 |
| 99 | Big Brother (08/08/04) | 6.02 |
| 100 | Brookside (03/01/99) | 6.02 |
Quite heavily dominated by a certain realty show behemoth, isn’t it? Here then is a top 200 (two hundred!), taking in the average viewing figures of each show. We’ve added a column showing how many broadcasts each average is gleaned from. When compiling the figures, we have tried our best to mark up any films with the prefix “Film:”, as the BARB listings only did so for the last few years. Please forgive us if we’ve missed any.
| Programme | Viewers (m) | Showings | |
| 1 | Peter Kay Live | 5.64 | 2 |
| 2 | Escape From Colditz | 5.61 | 3 |
| 3 | Film: Elf | 5.54 | 2 |
| 4 | The Boy Who Gave Birth To His Brother | 5.41 | 1 |
| 5 | Bodyshock: Half Ton Man | 5.14 | 1 |
| 6 | Wild Child | 5.07 | 1 |
| 7 | Film: Bridget Jones's Diary | 4.83 | 2 |
| 8 | The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off | 4.75 | 1 |
| 9 | Relocation, Relocation, Relocation | 4.56 | 2 |
| 10 | Real Queen Mother | 4.55 | 1 |
| 11 | Peter Kays Britain's Got The Pop Factor | 4.53 | 2 |
| 12 | Super Size Me | 4.47 | 1 |
| 13 | Da Ali G Show | 4.44 | 7 |
| 14 | Jamie's School Dinners | 4.43 | 5 |
| 15 | Geri | 4.37 | 1 |
| 16 | Celebrity Big Brother | 4.27 | 120 |
| 17 | Big Brother's Efourum | 4.24 | 1 |
| 18 | Merlin | 4.23 | 3 |
| 19 | Film: Miracle On 34th Street | 4.20 | 1 |
| 20 | Big Brother | 4.16 | 836 |
| 21 | Derren Brown: The Event | 4.14 | 2 |
| 22 | Diana: The Witnesses In The Tunnel | 4.11 | 1 |
| 23 | Return To Jamie's Kitchen | 4.10 | 2 |
| 24 | The Real Heather Mills | 4.07 | 1 |
| 25 | Extraordinary Breastfeeding | 4.07 | 1 |
| 26 | Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares | 4.06 | 29 |
| 27 | Station X | 4.06 | 4 |
| 28 | Brookside | 4.06 | 575 |
| 29 | Jamie's Fowl Dinners | 4.05 | 1 |
| 30 | Big Brother Sunday Psych Show | 4.04 | 1 |
| 31 | Drop/Dead Donkey | 4.03 | 7 |
| 32 | Six Wives/Henry Viii | 4.01 | 4 |
| 33 | Striptease | 4.00 | 1 |
| 34 | Jamie Cooks Christmas | 3.98 | 1 |
| 35 | The 1900 House | 3.98 | 10 |
| 36 | Real Story/Airtours | 3.97 | 1 |
| 37 | Scrapheap Megachallenge | 3.97 | 1 |
| 38 | Alice In Wonderland | 3.96 | 1 |
| 39 | Big Chef Takes On Little Chef | 3.94 | 3 |
| 40 | Celebrity Frock Ups | 3.93 | 1 |
| 41 | Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited | 3.93 | 2 |
| 42 | Who Got Benny's Millions? | 3.89 | 1 |
| 43 | Wallis Simpson | 3.88 | 1 |
| 44 | Ah So Graham Norton | 3.88 | 1 |
| 45 | River Cottage Christmas Feast | 3.82 | 2 |
| 46 | Sex And The City Farewell | 3.79 | 1 |
| 47 | Riddle Of Pompeii | 3.76 | 1 |
| 48 | 100 Great/Moments | 3.76 | 2 |
| 49 | Grand Designs | 3.73 | 101 |
| 50 | Battle/Hood/Bismarck | 3.73 | 2 |
| 51 | Private Parts | 3.73 | 3 |
| 52 | Relocation, Relocation | 3.72 | 76 |
| 53 | Shackleton | 3.71 | 2 |
| 54 | Film: Fahrenheit 9/11 | 3.70 | 1 |
| 55 | Perfect Breasts | 3.70 | 1 |
| 56 | The Real Paula Yates | 3.69 | 1 |
| 57 | Bodyshock: The Man Who Slept For 19 Year | 3.67 | 1 |
| 58 | Film: Austin Powers | 3.66 | 3 |
| 59 | Jamie's Return To School Dinners | 3.66 | 1 |
| 60 | Bodyshock: I Am The Elephant Man | 3.65 | 1 |
| 61 | Shipwrecked | 3.64 | 11 |
| 62 | How Clean Is Your House | 3.63 | 33 |
| 63 | Film: Notting Hill | 3.62 | 5 |
| 64 | Supernanny | 3.61 | 38 |
| 65 | Film: Shallow Hal | 3.61 | 2 |
| 66 | The Last Flight Of Bomber 31 | 3.60 | 1 |
| 67 | Film: Breakdown | 3.59 | 1 |
| 68 | Jamie's Kitchen | 3.58 | 10 |
| 69 | Grand Designs Abroad | 3.58 | 7 |
| 70 | My Fake Baby | 3.58 | 1 |
| 71 | Carry On Snogging | 3.57 | 1 |
| 72 | Mindshock: Feral Children | 3.57 | 1 |
| 73 | Britain's Got The Pop Factor Final | 3.56 | 1 |
| 74 | To The End Of The Earth | 3.56 | 1 |
| 75 | You Are What You Eat Special | 3.56 | 2 |
| 76 | Jack & Sarah | 3.54 | 2 |
| 77 | Riddle Of The Elephant Man | 3.53 | 1 |
| 78 | Wife Swap Changed Our Marriage | 3.53 | 2 |
| 79 | To Die For | 3.52 | 1 |
| 80 | What Really Happened: Michael Jackson | 3.52 | 1 |
| 81 | Film: Michael | 3.51 | 2 |
| 82 | Film: My Best Friend's Wedding | 3.50 | 4 |
| 83 | Fat Pets | 3.49 | 1 |
| 84 | Snow White | 3.48 | 1 |
| 85 | Designer Vaginas | 3.48 | 1 |
| 86 | Life Before Birth | 3.47 | 1 |
| 87 | Robbie: Live At Knebworth | 3.45 | 1 |
| 88 | The Ultimate Chart | 3.45 | 2 |
| 89 | How The Twin Towers Collapsed | 3.45 | 2 |
| 90 | Whitney Houston: The True Story | 3.43 | 1 |
| 91 | Krakatoa | 3.43 | 1 |
| 92 | Derren Brown: The Event Live | 3.42 | 1 |
| 93 | Strictly Baby Ballroom | 3.42 | 1 |
| 94 | Brat Camp | 3.41 | 15 |
| 95 | The Hole | 3.40 | 1 |
| 96 | Real Prince Philip | 3.40 | 3 |
| 97 | Film: My Big Fat Greek Wedding | 3.40 | 2 |
| 98 | Hugh's Chicken Run | 3.39 | 4 |
| 99 | Bodyshock: Born With Two Heads | 3.38 | 1 |
| 100 | Euroballs '98 | 3.37 | 1 |
| 101 | Freddie Starr Ate My | 3.37 | 1 |
| 102 | Trigger Happy Tv | 3.37 | 24 |
| 103 | Half Ton Mum | 3.36 | 2 |
| 104 | Lost | 3.35 | 52 |
| 105 | Gordon Ramsay's F Word | 3.34 | 38 |
| 106 | Peter Kay Live At The Manchester Arena | 3.34 | 3 |
| 107 | Film: Sleepy Hollow | 3.34 | 3 |
| 108 | The Hunt For Lord Lucan | 3.34 | 1 |
| 109 | Property Ladder Revisited | 3.34 | 13 |
| 110 | Ramsay's Great British Nightmare | 3.32 | 1 |
| 111 | The Real Gary Glitter | 3.31 | 1 |
| 112 | Victoria's Secrets | 3.31 | 2 |
| 113 | 101 Embarrassing Sexual Accidents | 3.30 | 1 |
| 114 | What Happened To Slimmers Of The Year? | 3.30 | 1 |
| 115 | Big Brother The Swap | 3.28 | 1 |
| 116 | My Breasts Are Too Big | 3.28 | 1 |
| 117 | The Real Princess Anne | 3.27 | 1 |
| 118 | The Real Crawfie | 3.27 | 1 |
| 119 | Tales From River Cottage | 3.27 | 10 |
| 120 | Film: Gladiator | 3.26 | 2 |
| 121 | 1940 House | 3.26 | 5 |
| 122 | World/Watching/Big B | 3.25 | 1 |
| 123 | The Real Da Vinci Code | 3.25 | 2 |
| 124 | Seven Days That Shook Coronation Street | 3.25 | 1 |
| 125 | Snowden And Margaret: Inside A Royal Wed | 3.25 | 1 |
| 126 | The Secret Millionaire | 3.25 | 29 |
| 127 | 100 Greatest Tv Ads | 3.24 | 3 |
| 128 | Bodyshock: The Girl With 8 Limbs | 3.24 | 1 |
| 129 | A Very British Ufo Hoax | 3.24 | 1 |
| 130 | Film: Final Destination | 3.23 | 2 |
| 131 | Location, Location, Location Revisited | 3.23 | 18 |
| 132 | In Memoriam September 11, 2001 | 3.22 | 1 |
| 133 | Make Me A Man | 3.22 | 2 |
| 134 | Titanic Live | 3.21 | 2 |
| 135 | Big Brother Celebrity Hijack | 3.21 | 1 |
| 136 | You Are What You Eat | 3.21 | 42 |
| 137 | Film: Night At The Museum | 3.21 | 2 |
| 138 | Best Of T.Cooper | 3.20 | 1 |
| 139 | Aileen:Life And Death Of A Serial Killer | 3.19 | 1 |
| 140 | Location, Location, Location | 3.19 | 95 |
| 141 | Universe | 3.18 | 4 |
| 142 | 9/11: 102 Minutes That Changed America | 3.17 | 1 |
| 143 | How Clean Are The F***Ing Fulfords? | 3.17 | 1 |
| 144 | Jamie's Chef | 3.17 | 4 |
| 145 | Jamie's American Road Trip | 3.16 | 1 |
| 146 | Plague/Fire/War/Tre | 3.15 | 3 |
| 147 | The Queen Mother In Love | 3.15 | 1 |
| 148 | Grand Designs Revisited | 3.15 | 16 |
| 149 | Film: Touching The Void | 3.14 | 1 |
| 150 | 100 Greatest Cartoons | 3.14 | 1 |
| 151 | Prince Eddy: The King We Never Had | 3.14 | 1 |
| 152 | Ten Years Younger Celebrity Special | 3.13 | 1 |
| 153 | In Excess:M.Hutchenc | 3.13 | 1 |
| 154 | Queer As Folk | 3.12 | 8 |
| 155 | One Hundred And Eighty: The Tour Documen | 3.12 | 3 |
| 156 | Beyond River Cottage | 3.12 | 10 |
| 157 | Alex Best: My Life With George | 3.11 | 1 |
| 158 | David Blaine's Vertigo | 3.11 | 1 |
| 159 | Big Fat Quiz Of The Year | 3.10 | 1 |
| 160 | The Real Michael Barrymore | 3.10 | 1 |
| 161 | The Truth About Gay Sex - Women | 3.10 | 1 |
| 162 | Secret Intersex | 3.10 | 2 |
| 163 | Super Size Kids | 3.10 | 2 |
| 164 | Equinox Special: Wave Shook The World | 3.09 | 1 |
| 165 | Joy Of Sex | 3.09 | 1 |
| 166 | Scrapheap Challenge Christmas Special | 3.09 | 1 |
| 167 | Seven Days That Shook The Weathermen | 3.08 | 1 |
| 168 | Film: Final Destination 2 | 3.08 | 1 |
| 169 | What Jade Did Next | 3.08 | 1 |
| 170 | Derren Brown: Seance | 3.08 | 1 |
| 171 | Celebrity Wife Swap | 3.07 | 9 |
| 172 | Inside Big Brother | 3.06 | 1 |
| 173 | The 9/11 Faker | 3.06 | 1 |
| 174 | You Are What You Eat Revisited | 3.06 | 1 |
| 175 | Death On The Nile | 3.06 | 1 |
| 176 | Wife Swap | 3.06 | 82 |
| 177 | Elizabeth I | 3.06 | 2 |
| 178 | Robbie Williams/Conc | 3.05 | 1 |
| 179 | Sotd: Titanic's Ghosts | 3.05 | 1 |
| 180 | Big Brother Winner Show | 3.05 | 1 |
| 181 | Derren Brown Plays Russian Roulette Live | 3.05 | 1 |
| 182 | 9/11: The Miracle Of Stairway B | 3.05 | 1 |
| 183 | Property Ladder | 3.04 | 110 |
| 184 | Film: The Full Monty | 3.04 | 4 |
| 185 | P.Zenon's Tricky Chr | 3.04 | 1 |
| 186 | Gok Wan: Too Fat Too Young | 3.04 | 1 |
| 187 | The Killing Secret | 3.04 | 1 |
| 188 | The Queen's Lost Uncle | 3.04 | 3 |
| 189 | Film: Porridge | 3.04 | 2 |
| 190 | Best And Worst Places To Live In The Uk | 3.03 | 3 |
| 191 | As Good As It Gets | 3.03 | 1 |
| 192 | Killer Queen! | 3.03 | 1 |
| 193 | Return To Loch Ness | 3.02 | 1 |
| 194 | Film: Monster-In-Law | 3.02 | 1 |
| 195 | 100 Greatest No.1's | 3.02 | 4 |
| 196 | The Real Oliver Reed | 3.02 | 1 |
| 197 | Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Usa | 3.02 | 26 |
| 198 | Film: The Day After Tomorrow | 3.02 | 3 |
| 199 | The Coroner | 3.01 | 3 |
| 200 | Roswell | 3.01 | 1 |
So, a few surprises there. The film version of Porridge proving more popular than the woeful but big budget The Day After Tomorrow. Big Brother (836 episodes!) finishing below Celebrity Big Brother. Brookside putting in a very reasonable performance, given that it was supposed to have died on it’s arse over the last years of its life. For the record, Hollyoaks in the 912th place on our list.
Anyway, with these cumbersome tables making Windows Live Writer seem a bit unstable, we’ll round things off for now. We’ll be back tomorrow (or the day after) with more programme specific information. Not to mention more pictures like this of Jeremy Isaacs:
What’s he writing? We need a closer look.
His pen isn’t even the right way up? Man, no wonder MiniPops got commissioned. Back tomorrow! Or the day after!
4 .:
In Club X's defence - they had The Beatnigs on playing live. That's all I've got, though.
In DotComedy's defence, it didn't just string YouTube clips together with a 'zany' voiceover. It had proper studio discussions & interviews with people about the things they were doing. Plus it was introduced by Chris Addison and Gail Porter who are gods (and Twitter gods now).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taWeWgPGvsM
Clearly the best bit was when the rummaged through people's favourites and made fun of the pr0n sites.
Yay! Bob Greaves!! And to his left is current silver-haired curmudgeon Peter Allen off the Radio 5.
Union World! Why this was axed is beyond me!
Browsing through the Annual Reports I wonder why there's a picture 'On the set of Loose Women' in the 1999 report?
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