BNP exposé draws 4 million

Analysis for Daily TV Marketplace by Kevin May. | Friday, 16 July 2004 Source: Daily TV Marketplace

A damning BBC One undercover documentary on the British National Party was watched by one in five of the total television audience last night.

The Secret Agent at 9pm grabbed a 19.6% share of the audience and 4 million viewers, as a succession of BNP members were exposed by undercover reporter Jason Gwynne.

The party has reacted swiftly to expel some of those featured in the documentary, but BNP leader Nick Griffin – who was also featured in the programme – appeared on BBC Two's Newsnight at 10.30pm to mount a robust defence of his now-public views on Islam.

However, the interview attracted just 1.2 million viewers and an 8.6% share of the total television audience.

ITV1's 150 minutes of law and order-related programming, between 8 and 10.30pm, gave the channel an edge over its rivals.

Police soap opera The Bill grabbed a 30.7% share and 6.1 million viewers at 8pm, while Bad Lads' Army at 9pm added an extra 200,000 viewers.

Real Bad Girls at 10pm had a 17.9% share and managed to retain 3.6 million of the channel's viewers.

Meanwhile, BBC Two's documentary on the Saudi royal family caught 1.6 million viewers at 9pm, beating Channel 4's Behind the Crime at the same time.

The show managed just 1.5 million viewers and a 7.6% share, before Big Brother typically sent the ratings soaring past the 5 million barrier with a 28.1% share.

Five's attempts to woo viewers with a testosterone-fuelled, Sly Stone-fronted motor sport thriller crashed and burned with just 1.2 million viewers tuning in between 8 and 10.15pm, a share of 5.8% of the total audience.