Acclaimed murder mystery Broadchurch finished on a series high of nearly 9 million viewers as ITV confirmed it would return for a second series.
The David Tennant and Olivia Colman drama ended its eight-part run with 8.7 million viewers, a 33.4% share of the audience, between 9pm and 10pm on Tuesday.
It was its highest overnight audience to date, eclipsing the 7.6 million (32%) who tuned into episode three.
The finale’s consolidated figure is likely to top 10 million (the previous highest consolidated audience was also episode three, with 9.6 million).
Written and created by Chris Chibnall, a second series will go into production next year, although it remains to be seen whether its biggest stars will return.
With the identity of Danny Latimer’s killer revealed, both Tennant and Colman’s characters appeared to be leaving Broadchurch at the end of series one.
Chibnall said: “The whole Broadchurch team has been delighted and properly gobsmacked by the response from ITV viewers.
“When I first talked to [ITV director of television] Peter Fincham and Laura Mackie, ITV’s director of drama about Broadchurch, I mentioned that if people liked it, there was another very different story we could tell afterwards.
“I’m really thrilled we’re going to tell that story too.”
Broadchurch, produced by Kudos Film and Television and Imaginary Friends Productions, launched with an overnight audience of 6.8 million on 4 March and averaged 7.1 million across the course of its eight-week run.
Last night, it predictably had the better of BBC1 documentary The Prisoners, watched by 2.8 million viewers, a 10.7% share, also between 9pm and 10pm.
With a double helping of Coronation Street watched by 8.7 million (38.1%) and 8.4 million (33.6%) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm respectively, ITV had a 27.7% share of the peaktime audience between 6pm and 10.30pm, comfortably ahead of BBC1’s 19.1%.
Elsewhere, new Channel 5 documentary series Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, began with 1.2 million viewers, a 4.5% share, between 9pm and 10pm.
Paul Hollywood’s Bread came to the end of its six-part run on BBC2 with 2 million viewers, an 8.3% share, between 8.30pm and 9pm.
Source: guardian.co.uk – Broadchurch to return for second series after nearly 9m see killer revealed
