Digging for Britain’s viewing figures

The recent BBC2 series on archaeology, ‘Digging for Britain’, was relatively well received in terms of viewer numbers. The Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board figures show the following figures (all figures are in millions of viewers):

BBC2 w/e 22 Aug 2010

1. MATCH OF THE DAY (SUN 2202) 3.42
2. DRAGONS’ DEN (MON 2102) 3.11
3. COAST (WED 2000) 2.84
4. THE NORMANS (WED 2101) 2.82
5. DIGGING FOR BRITAIN (THU 2101) 2.75 – Romans, with lots of PAS stuff
6. UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE (MON 2001) 2.49
7. THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (TUE 2001) 2.24
8. THE NATURAL WORLD (THU 2001) 2.19
9. VEXED (SUN 2102) 2.09
10. HAVE I GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE NEWS FOR YO (SAT 2101) 1.99

BBC2 w/e 22 Aug 2010

1. DRAGONS’ DEN (MON 2102) 3.17
2. MATCH OF THE DAY (SUN 2201) 3.12
3. THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (TUE 2000) 3.00
4. COAST (WED 2001) 2.94
5. UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE (MON 2000) 2.59
6. DIGGING FOR BRITAIN (THU 2101) 2.34 – Prehistory featuring Ben Roberts lovefest
7. HAVE I GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE NEWS FOR YO (SAT 2103 2.29
8. DAD’S ARMY (SAT 2032) 2.23
9. EGGHEADS (THU 1800) 2.16
10. EGGHEADS (WED 1759) 2.13

BBC2 w/e 5 Sep 2010

1. COAST (WED 2002) 3.42
2. THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (TUE 2002) 3.00
3. DRAGONS’ DEN (MON 2102) 2.98
4. ALEX HIGGINS: THE PEOPLE’S CHAMPION (WED 2102) 2.97
5. UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE (MON 2002) 2.78
6. DIGGING FOR BRITAIN (THU 2101) 2.45 – Anglo-Saxons
7. ANTIQUES MASTER (MON 2032) 2.12
8. E NUMBERS: AN EDIBLE ADVENTURE (THU 2001) 1.98
9. EGGHEADS (MON 1800) 1.96
10. EGGHEADS (WED 1800) 1.94

The only programme I can’t find figures for, is the last on the Tudors. That didn’t seem to be as strong and was shifted to a Friday night slot. (I fell asleep in it). The figures of over 2 million viewers consistently, may give hope for a second series being recommissioned; however, can it sustain the current format of a period per show? Will it rely on Alice Roberts as a presenter?