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Celebrity Traitors series 2 opener averages 8.9 million viewers, a UK launch record

The second series of the BBC's Celebrity Traitors opened on Thursday with overnight figures of 8.9 million average viewers, a peak of just over 9 million, and the biggest launch for any UK version of The Traitors. Outlets differ on the headline number: the Daily Mail's headline says 9.4 million, while its text gives 8.9 million.

6 outlets · 1L · 4C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: Deadline
Image: The Independent
Image: Daily Mail
Image: Evening Standard
Image: Radio Times
Image: Digital Spy

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The story, neutrally told

The opening episode of the second series of the BBC's Celebrity Traitors, shown on Thursday 1 October, was watched by an average of 8.9 million viewers, according to overnight figures. The audience peaked at just over 9 million, and both outlets describe it as the biggest launch episode of The Traitors in the UK. The Daily Mail says the first celebrity series opened with a 6.5 million peak and a 6.1 million average, and that January's civilian series opener peaked at 6.9 million and averaged 6.4 million. Deadline puts the first celebrity opener about 3 million viewers lower.

Deadline reports that the 75-minute episode took a share of nearly 55% of everyone watching TV at the time. It says this made it the second most-watched TV episode of the year excluding sport, behind only the January final of the civilian Traitors. The Daily Mail says the audience is expected to rise as iPlayer streams are not yet counted. The series airs every Thursday and Friday at 8pm GMT for the coming month. The cast includes Jerry Hall, Richard E. Grant, Myha'la, Bella Ramsey, Maya Jama, Joe Lycett, Miranda Hart, Hannah Fry, James Blunt and Michael Sheen.

In the episode, host Claudia Winkleman named Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant as Traitors. In a first for the show, she let them choose a third Traitor from two players, Amol Rajan and James Acaster, who were made to lie in coffins. The other would be 'murdered'. The decision was left as a cliffhanger, with the reveal due in Friday's episode, according to the Daily Mail. The Daily Mail also reports that Julie Hesmondhalgh won the vote for most trustworthy player. Ross Kemp and James Blunt led the first mission, which added £15,000 to a prize fund. Contestants can win up to £100,000 for charity. Deadline calls the show 'arguably the BBC’s biggest entertainment juggernaut' and says trails ran across BBC primetime shows. It adds that the fifth civilian series starts early next year, and that Peacock airs a US version hosted by Alan Cumming.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left1 outlet

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre4 outlets

Framing
Trade-press ratings report that leads on the record launch and puts it in context of TV share and the year's biggest shows.
Emphasis
Audience share (nearly 55%), rank among the year's most-watched TV, comparison with earlier series, and the show's importance to the BBC.
Leaves out or plays down
Gives little detail of the episode's plot or twists. Does not mention iPlayer viewing still to be counted.
Charged language
“colossal”“biggest entertainment juggernaut”
For example
“a colossal 8.9 million viewers tuned in last night.” — Deadline
“Last night’s ep was watched by more than half of the overall number of people tuning in to TV at the time, an enormous share of nearly 55%.” — Deadline

Right1 outlet

Framing
Entertainment-news piece that celebrates the ratings record and then recaps the episode's twists, contestants and humour.
Emphasis
Record figures against the earlier series, the coffin cliffhanger, contestants' quips and a long cast gallery with ages.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not give audience share or the rank among the year's TV. The headline's 9.4 million figure is not supported by the body's 8.9 million average.
Charged language
“smashes viewing figures”“record-breaking launch show”“standout hit”
For example
“Celebrity Traitors smashes viewing figures as 9.4million fans tune in to watch record-breaking launch show” — Daily Mail
“And in what will surely be one of the show’s most memorable cliffhangers” — Daily Mail