Here is a breakout of the Top 25-rated UK History programs in 1H 2020.
- Read my interview notes with BBC History buyer Simon Young at Sunny Side, including his insights concerning A House Through Time
- And see my post capturing the Top 100 UK Factual in the COVID Era.
Still from Channel 4’s VE Day in Colour
UK Broadcast Audience
History Category
Top 25, 1H 2020
| Rank | Channel | Program | ‘000 | Share |
| 1 | BBC 2 | A House Through Time | 3,816 | 17.5 |
| 2 | ITV | Captain Tom’s War | 2,876 | 14.4 |
| 3 | BBC 2 | Back in Time for the Corner Shop | 2,600 | 12.7 |
| 4 | C5 | Princess Anne: The Daughter… | 2,163 | 12.0 |
| 5 | BBC 2 | Villages by the Sea | 2,085 | 10.7 |
| 6 | ITV | Our Queen at War | 2,078 | 9.2 |
| 7 | BBC 2 | Keeler, Profumo, Ward and Me | 2,022 | 13.7 |
| 8 | ITV | Return to Belsen | 2,017 | 8.3 |
| 9 | BBC 2 | Belsen: Our Story | 1,709 | 6.6 |
| 10 | BBC 2 | Little Ships – The Miracle of Dunkirk | 1,628 | 9.7 |
| 11 | C4 | VE Day in Colour: Britain’s Biggest Party | 1,457 | 6.4 |
| 12 | C5 | Portillo’s Empire Journey | 1,450 | 5.5 |
| 13 | C4 | Secrets of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings | 1,396 | 5.4 |
| 14 | C4 | Lost Pyramids of the Aztecs | 1,387 | 7.1 |
| 15 | C5 | The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard | 1,360 | 6.1 |
| 16 | C5 | King George VI: The Accidental King | 1,350 | 7.5 |
| 17 | C5 | Tony Robinson’s History of Britain | 1,348 | 6.8 |
| 18 | BBC 2 | Timewatch | 1,347 | 8.2 |
| 19 | C5 | VE Day: The Lost Films | 1,344 | 6.2 |
| 20 | C5 | Queen Mary: How She Saved the Royals | 1,327 | 7.9 |
| 21 | C5 | Princess Margaret: Rebel Without a Crown | 1,302 | 8 |
| 22 | C5 | The Royals: A Family in Crisis | 1,298 | 6.9 |
| 23 | C5 | Royals in Wartime | 1,295 | 5.9 |
| 24 | BBC 2 | Dig WW2 with Dan Snow | 1,295 | 6.9 |
| 25 | C5 | Royals on Tour | 1,279 | 5 |
Notes on the Data
- The ‘000 P4+’ column refers to viewers 4 years and older in thousands.
- Share refers to the program’s share of television sets in use at that time.
- The data refers to highest single episode in a series.
- The categories come from BARB, and titles are sometimes incomplete.
Comfort Food
- A friend sent this comment on Food trends during COVID and pointed to its relevance to television entertainment.
Tasting on Familiar Foods: During the outbreak, many consumers are seeking comfort and familiarity in the pantry. Thirty-seven per cent of UK consumers are revisiting dishes from their childhood in lockdown (Co-op, 2020). Traditional quick-fix packet desserts have also seen an uptick – including a 336% increase in custard powder sales (Co-op, 2020).
- On the other hand, the combined audience for the BBC and ITV programs on the Belsen concentration camp does capture the UK viewer’s interest in the toughest of subjects.
- And the “Land & Country” theme that I described in my Top 100 Takeaways is picked up here with multiple stories that showcase British heroism.
- The Royals are not making waves in the Top 100, but they are subjects of eight of the Top 25 in the History list.
More
- Don’t miss my interview notes with BBC History buyer Simon Young at Sunny Side. Includes his insights concerning A House Through Time
- Read the Top 100 UK Documentaries and Lifestyle, 1H 2020
- And the Top 25 Wildlife / Natural History programs
- And don’t miss my Sunny Side Interview on Channel 4’s strategy: What do they want? What do they pay?
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