BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Season 4 UK ratings

**Posted by ewige** January 23, 2017 6:50 pm

So the consolidated numbers are in:

TST 11,33 Mio
TLD 9,53 Mio
TFP 9,06 Mio
(Barb.co.uk)

There is a nice overview over ratings of the whole show here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sherlock_episodes#Episodes

I'm looking at the numbers and can't really make head nor tail of them. Maybe people in the know can help with their interpretation.

So far it looks to me that the promo campaign did great, thus such a high rating for TST, but TST itself received mixed reviews that colored the rest of the season? I mean, the ratings can't be based on the immediate episode's quality but rather on the previous ones, right?

Still, even TFP with its lowest rating (compared to other episodes) was the most viewed program that week. So it can't be as bad for BBC (and Moftiss) as some people say!

**Posted by Naavy** January 23, 2017 7:08 pm

Why after TLD the number of viewers kept falling?...
This is surprising.

**Posted by ewige** January 23, 2017 7:22 pm

I've no idea... TLD is the most sherlocky ep of all three, in my opinion.

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 1:31 pm

I've just read TFP transcript courtesy of Ariane. She mentions something in the end notes that I'd like especially our resident Brits to comment on:

I particularly think that making Culverton Smith so horrifically similar to a real-life British monster was a huge mistake and was the main reason why the general British viewing public abandoned the show in droves after that.

http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/92287.html

It has never occurred to me that CS might be such a trigger for so many people but I lack the cultural awereness of course (in fact, I haven't heard anything about that "real-life British monster" until Liberty mentioned him here).

So what do you think? Have you heard of similar reactions? That might be a good explanation for the low ratings. But - roughly 2 Mio viewers fewer?! Seriously? On one hand, I'm not sure it's significant compared to the show's ratings and we shouldn't forget that TFP was still the most watched program; on the other hand, it's a lot as an absolute number.

That also would explain why Moftiss thought TLD to be divisive...

Thoughts? Ramblings? Insults?

**Posted by besleybean** January 29, 2017 1:36 pm

Personally I think Mark and Steven made a brave decision to make CS so obviously Jimmy Savile, who used to live in my parents town.
It is of concern to all decent people who work with the BBC, that such a monster appears to have been allowed free reign to create absolute havoc, with the most vulnerable people and at the lowest point of their lives...
It never bothered me about the episode and I wasn't really aware that it did bother others.
There was a warning at the start of the show, but then I'm not sure what the correct system is regarding particular triggers.

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 1:44 pm

Thank you for your insight, bb.
I too think that it was a brave and important decision. The RL parallels made the story even more chilling and significant - in my from under the rock opinion.

**Posted by Liberty** January 29, 2017 1:45 pm

I think the viewing figures have to reflect changes in viewing practices too ... even in the last couple of the years there seems to have been a lot of changes to watching alternative services (Netflix, Now, etc.) rather than the usual TV, and also not watching programmes when they air, but later.

Magnussen was also partially based on a real person (I don't know what the viewing figures were for HLV). I thought TLD was quite subtly done, but I think it was good that there was a warning beforehand - do you mean that it was so distasteful that it would put viewers off watching the next episode?

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 1:52 pm

I don't know! I didn't think it distasteful at all but I don't have that terrible drama ingrained into my emotional/cognitive make-up.

The 9,03 Mio is a consolidated number (incl. delayed viewings).

The link in the first post takes you to the overview where you can compare the ratings of the whole show. HLV counted 11,38 Mio viewers, just like TSOT.

**Posted by Liberty** January 29, 2017 2:48 pm

I see. It's an interesting point, because obviously the quality of the episode isn't a factor - people don't know that until they watch it! So yes, it could be the episode before that influences it. I felt that although Culverton was really creepy, some of it was just hinted at (the scene where he's sitting surrounded by children in the hospital, for instance). And yes, it's close the bone for a lot of people. But it looks like there was a similar drop off for TRF after HOB.

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 3:01 pm

I have a feeling that the ratings have nothing to do with anything o.o THOB isn't among my favorites but if I watch a show (even just casually) I'm not stopping because of an odd episode.

**Posted by Lis** January 29, 2017 3:25 pm

I wonder if the leak had any real impact on viewing figures for TFP?

I can understand the drop in figures form TST to TLD but TLD was such an amazing episode that I can't imagine that after watching it people would not tune in to watch TFP. I didn't think that Culverton being similar to Jimmy Saville was an issue and if it was for some people I can't imagine them not wanting to see the next episode because of it, but that's just me.

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 4:27 pm

I don't think many UK viewers could have profited from the leak... a few hundred very impatient die-hard fans, but not the casual viewers, surely?

**Posted by Lis** January 29, 2017 5:11 pm

Yeah, probably not.

**Posted by nakahara** January 30, 2017 11:18 am

Lis wrote:
I wonder if the leak had any real impact on viewing figures for TFP?

I can understand the drop in figures form TST to TLD but TLD was such an amazing episode that I can't imagine that after watching it people would not tune in to watch TFP. I didn't think that Culverton being similar to Jimmy Saville was an issue and if it was for some people I can't imagine them not wanting to see the next episode because of it, but that's just me.

TLD was a very good episode, IMHO, but I understand why some people could be put off by it. Besides Culverton Smith, it featured things like:

- Sherlock as an unscrupulous junkie
- John and Sherlock gravely estranged
- John beating Sherlock viciously
- Mrs. Hudson having financial gain from criminal activities
- Wham ending where Sherlock´s sister is introduced from nowhere

Although these things were explained in the plot, both casual viewers and dedicated Holmesians could feel that these features are OOC and it could discourage them from watching the next instalment....

**Posted by ewige** January 30, 2017 11:34 am

nakahara wrote:
- Sherlock as an unscrupulous junkie

Oh, that... I don't even notice anymore

But you are right, of course. Thanks for the different perspective

**Posted by SusiGo** January 30, 2017 12:25 pm

Why unscrupulous? To me he seemed never more human than in his best moments of TLD. The scenes with Eurus were wonderful, he was caring even though he was drugged to the gills.

**Posted by nakahara** January 30, 2017 12:37 pm

SusiGo wrote:
Why unscrupulous? To me he seemed never more human than in his best moments of TLD. The scenes with Eurus were wonderful, he was caring even though he was drugged to the gills.

Maybe I should say "irreparable"?

I meant that the plot LTD makes you believe that Sherlock relapsed again, big time. It is only revealed at the end that this was a part of his plan all along... but some people could have been repulsed by that in between and switch the episode off, never to realise that things were not how they were seen at the beginning.