Eastenders Gets Its Second Worst Audience
From Media Guardian;
Emmerdale thriller crushes EastEnders
Emmerdale: climax of Sadie and Tom kidnapping storyline
ITV1's special hour-long episode of Emmerdale, in which Patsy Kensit's designer-clad bitch Sadie finally got her comeuppance, relegated rival soap EastEnders to its second-worst ever audience last night.
The dramatic climax of the Sadie and Tom kidnapping storyline was watched by almost half of the available TV audience between 7pm and 8pm.
An average of 8.3 million viewers, a 43% audience share, tuned in to see the characters stare death in the face and only one of them emerge to tell the tale.
The second half-hour of the ITV soap had almost double the number of viewers of EastEnders and reduced the BBC1 show to its second-worst audience.
EastEnders was watched by 4.5 million viewers, winning a 23% share - its equal worst ever - between 7.30pm and 8pm, compared with Emmerdale's 8.7 million and 43% share for that half-hour.
The soap's figure came close to its all-time low, which also happened at the hands of an hour-long Emmerdale special earlier this summer.
EastEnders' lowest audience was recorded on July 13 when 3.9 million watched against an hour-long Emmerdale special.
The London-set soap had already suffered a new all-time low of 5.2 million that week at the hands of its Yorkshire-based rival.
