The Best TV Shows of 2009

ITV1 undoubtedly won the 2009 TV ratings war, with the "Britain's Got Talent" final proving the most popular show of the year. 18.3 million (a staggering 68% audience share) tuned in to see dance troupe Diversity defeat Susan Boyle in the final of the 3rd series of the talent show on 30th May. The channel was also responsible for 6 of the top 10 most-watched programmes up to early December, according to figures provided by Barb/Infosys.

Entertainment

Along with the "Britain's Got Talent" final, which was the most popular programme on any UK channel since England's 2-2 draw with Sweden in the 2006 World Cup, ITV1 added insult to injury with all of their "reality" shows proving more well-liked than the BBC's most popular entertainment show, "Strictly Come Dancing." The "X Factor" results show on November 15th (15 million viewers) was the second most-watched show at its time of airing, but will be replaced in the final list by the December final, which had an average audience of 15½ million, a figure that can only increase when "timeshifted" viewing, e.g. Sky+, is incorporated into the Barb/Infosys ratings. "Dancing on Ice," (11.3 million) and "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" (10.8 million) also proved more popular than the BBC offering, with 10.1 million viewers. The soaps' battle was closely fought, with BBC1's most popular show, EastEnders on 2nd April (11.45 million), attracting marginally more viewers than ITV's Coronation Street on 2nd February.

Dramas

ITV1 also dominated the drama scene in 2009, producing 6 of the 10 most-viewed programmes. Their most popular offering was Martin Clunes' "Doc Martin," on 8th November, attracting 10.3 million viewers. Their new Rupert Penry-Jones drama "Whitechapel," with 9.2 million viewers, took fourth place, with "Wild at Heart" remaining popular in 6th place. However, BBC1 may take some heart from the presence of Doctor Who in second place, with 9.9 million viewers for the November special, "The Waters of Mars" and an episode of Jonathan Creek broadcast on New Year's Day 2009 which took 3rd spot, with a similar audience. Additionally, Amanda Redman as Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, in the 6th series of "New Tricks" continues to attract respectable viewing figures, peaking at 8.8 million in July and occupying 5th place in the top drama list for 2009. Your author's personal favourite, the incorrigible DCI Gene Hunt, in "Ashes to Ashes" also managed to sneak into the top 10 for the BBC.

Most Popular Christmas TV

The BBC gained some recompense in the festive television ratings, screening 9 of the 10 most popular shows on Christmas Day. BBC1 recorded strong viewing figures for EastEnders, the most-watched Christmas TV show with 10.9 million viewers tuning in to watch Archie Mitchell get murdered, The Royle Family (10.2 million) and Doctor Who (10 million) on Christmas Day. Gavin and Stacey was the 4th most-watched programme, with 9.2 million viewers. The only ITV programme in the Top 10 was Coronation Street, the sixth most popular show, with 7.9 million; a major blow at the end of a dominant year.