Drama tops iPlayer requests in January
March 1, 2019
Idris Elba’s return as Luther has helped BBC iPlayer to a dramatic start to the year.
The detective’s first episode back on the beat was the best performing programme on BBC iPlayer in January, with 3.7 million requests, and 11 million requests for the four episodes of the latest series in total.
Drama dominated the first month of the year, with every episode of top twenty iPlayer programmes of the month being a drama. The return of Silent Witness performed well, with over 2.1 million requests for the first episode of the new series.
New Andrew Davies adaptation Les Misérables also performed admirably, with over 1.4 million requests for the drama’s first episode. Other strong performers included EastEnders, Call the Midwife’s eighth series and Doctor Who’s New Year’s Day special. The FA Cup’s fourth round clash between Manchester United and Arsenal also performed well, with almost 1 million requests for the match.
The dramas helped BBC iPlayer to achieve 356 million requests across the month, and an average of 11.5 million requests per day.
The top 10 episodes on BBC iPlayer in January are:
| Programme | Episode | Requests | |
| 1 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 1 | 3,710,000 |
| 2 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 2 | 2,590,000 |
| 3 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 3 | 2,443,000 |
| 4 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 4 | 2,331,000 |
| 5 | Silent Witness | Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 1 | 2,184,000 |
| 6 | EastEnders | 01/01/2019 | 1,575,000 |
| 7 | Silent Witness | Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 2 | 1,503,000 |
| 8 | Les Misérables | Series 1 – episode 1 | 1,489,000 |
| 9 | EastEnders | 04/01/2019 | 1,409,000 |
| 10 | EastEnders | 03/01/2019 – part 2 | 1,284,000 |
The top 10 episodes per series on BBC iPlayer in January are:
| Programme | Episode | Requests | |
| 1 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 1 | 3,710,000 |
| 2 | Silent Witness | Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 1 | 2,184,000 |
| 3 | EastEnders | 01/01/2019 | 1,575,000 |
| 4 | Les Misérables | Series 1 – episode 1 | 1,489,000 |
| 5 | Call the Midwife | Series 8 – episode 1 | 1,257,000 |
| 6 | Doctor Who | Resolution | 1,059,000 |
| 7 | The FA Cup | Fourth Round: Arsenal v Man Utd | 976,000 |
| 8 | Death in Paradise | Series 8 – episode 1 | 945,000 |
| 9 | Luther | Series 1 – episode 1 | 943,000 |
| 10 | Match of the Day | 19/01/2019 | 940,000 |
Dan McGolpin, controller of programming for the BBC, says: “It’s been a very good start to 2019 on BBC iPlayer with new drama in particular drawing large audiences in January. Viewers were delighted to see the return of Luther, Silent Witness and Call the Midwife and thrilled to see Andrew Davies’ brand new adaptation of Les Misérables. In terms of live programmes the FA Cup has already seen a number of high profile matches with the quarter-finals coming soon. There’s plenty more to look forward to on BBC iPlayer throughout the rest of the year.”