ITV1's Harley Street debuts with 3.9m viewers

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 18-Jul-08, 11:05

LONDON - ITV1's new medical drama 'Harley Street' attracted 3.9m viewers last night, but failed to match BBC One's 'On the Fiddle', which drew 5.2m, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The first episode of the six-part medical drama, starring 'EastEnders' heartthrob Paul Nicholls as a young doctor with a rampant libido and 'Coronation Street' star Suranne Jones as his business partner, netted an 18% share of the 9pm-10pm audience.

The show, which is sponsored by Warner Leisure Hotels, is set in a private clinic. Last night's episode also featured former 'Hollyoaks' actor Will Mellor as a bipolar celebrity chef.

'Harley Street' didn't score well with TV critics, achieving just two stars in The Times and the Metro, which described it as "not quite a soap, farcical but not actually a comedy -- and a jumbo-sized catheter short of gritty realism".

BBC One's 'On the Fiddle?' documentary series, which follows the work of benefit fraud investigators, won the primetime slot with 5.2m viewers and a 24% share of the audience.

Last night's programme featured a middle-aged woman and her cousin, who were found guilty of falsely claiming nearly £2m in benefits using 192 stolen identities.

Channel 4 came in third, pulling in 3m viewers and a 13% share of the 9pm audience with 'Big Brother'. Last night's instalment saw the housemates fail their French-themed task, which involved eating a giant brie-filled baguette, performing a mime, endurance cycling and identifying six French wines.

'Mock the Week', BBC Two's news-based panel show hosted by Dara O'Briain, attracted 2.6m viewers and a 12% share of the 9pm-9.30pm audience.

It beat the second part of Five's 'The Hotel Inspector' documentary series, which netted 1m viewers and a 5% share.