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Broadchurch series 2: Drama attracts lowest ever ratings as audience drops by 1.6m

Many of you are not gripped enough by Chris Chibnall's new storyline

Jess Denham
Tuesday 13 January 2015 07:32 EST
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It returned last week to impressive ratings and rave reviews but Broadchurch series two took a disappointing turn on Monday night.

The hit ITV crime drama dropped more than 1.6 million viewers to record its lowest ever average ratings of 5.6 million at 9pm.

Last Monday’s opening audience was an impressive 7.6 million, but it seems not enough people were gripped by writer Chris Chibnall’s new storyline.

Bafta-winning Broadchurch’s previous low was episode five of the first series, when 6.3 million tuned in.

But despite the fall in viewer figures, last night’s show still beat rival BBC drama Silent Witness and Channel 4 series The Undateables in the 9pm battle. The former attracted 5.5 million viewers while the latter took ratings of 2.1 million.

David Tennant and Olivia Colman have reprised their lead roles as detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller for Broadchurch series two.

The first series of Broadchurch drew critical acclaim and racked up 8.7 million for its dramatic finale that saw Ellie’s husband Joe Miller arrested for 11-year-old Danny Latimer’s murder.

Much of the crime show’s appeal lies with the secrecy of its plot. Cast and crew have signed confidentiality clauses forbidding them from revealing storyline details, and several different endings have been filmed to prevent the conclusion leaking.

Arthur Darvill, who plays vicar Paul Coates, said recently that actors are not allowed to watch the series ahead of its broadcast. Furthermore, they were given partial scripts when shooting in an effort to keep the mystery even more tightly under wraps.

But will we still be watching until episode eight?

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