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Gotham ratings: Batman prequel a success for Channel 5 as it beats BBC 2 and Channel 4 slots

The opening episode drew in 2.05m viewers

Antonia Molloy
Tuesday 14 October 2014 07:02 EDT
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Ben McKenzie plays Detective James Gordon
Ben McKenzie plays Detective James Gordon (© Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. )

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Batman prequel Gotham proved to be a ratings success for Channel 5 last night as it made its UK premiere.

The Bruce Wayne origin story, staring Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue, drew in 2.05 million people, or 9.3 per cent of the audience, when it aired between 9pm and 10pm.

The figure placed it ahead of BBC 2’s The Kitchen and Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody.

Directed by Danny Cannon, the US import relegates Batman firmly to the sidelines, kicking off in a crime-ridden metropolis in which Bruce Wayne is a 12-year-old child, whose parents are slaughtered in front of his eyes.

The opening episode saw the complex murder case swiftly taken up by a young Detective James Gordon (McKenzie), setting the path for a friendship between him and the future Dark Knight. Viewers were also introduced to key characters such as Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin).

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