'Shackleton' drama is hit for Channel 4
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Your support makes all the difference.Channel 4's polar epic Shackleton, starring Kenneth Branagh, was its most watched drama of the past 12 months, figures revealed.
At £10m, the two-part film, which was the dream of Charles Sturridge, the man behind Longitude and Brides- head Revisited, was the most expensive drama the channel has ever made.
But its audience appeal appeared to vindicate the judgement of Mark Thompson, whose first statement as Channel 4's new chief executive was that the channel should aim for "really big projects".
Shackleton pulled in 3.6 million viewers for its first episode on 2 January, even though it was scheduled against the Brad Pitt filmMeet Joe Black on BBC2.
The following evening it won the same share of viewing – 16 per cent – and beat BBC2's show The Joy of Gardening.
Channel 4's other dramas, Longitude, the story of the clockmaker John Harrison, which was also screened just after new year two years ago, won 2.9 million viewers and Sword of Honour, the channel's adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's war trilogy last January, averaged 2.3 million viewers.
Meanwhile, the BBC said yesterday it was pleased with the debut of Johnny Vaughan as a chat-show host. His late-night BBC1 show, which started at 11.05pm on Monday last week, was watched by 2.1 million viewers, according to unofficial figures released yesterday.
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