The second instalment of The Casual Vacancy, which aired on BBC1 at 9pm Sunday night, drew a peak audience of 5.3 million, two million below the 7.3 million who watched the debut a week ago.
The drama goes head-to-head with Channel 4’s “epic” period drama Indian Summers, which stars Julie Walters.
Last week The Casual Vacancy triumphed in the ratings war and and last night it was still th most watched programme in the 9pm slot, with a 20.5% (down from 27.5%) share of viewers.
Indian Summers, set in the foothills of the Himalayas during the decline of the British Raj and the birth of modern India, averaged 2.2 million viewers (9.5%) last night, also losing some of its audience.”
However, not all audience members of The Casual Vacancy seem perturbed enough to ditch the show. In fact, even a Rowling skeptic sang its praises. The Lancashire Evening Post reports:
As the opening credits for The Casual Vacancy (BBC1 Sunday 9pm) flashed on the flatscreen I had to fight the reflex-like instinct to switch over such is my dislike for the author JK Rowling.
“Proudly, I have never read one of her books and have watched a mere 15 minutes of a Henry Potter film. There is no single reason why I have such an aversion to the First Lady of Kids’ Books, but whenever she comes on to the small screen I am almost overcome with the urge to lob the remote control in her general direction.
But credit where credit is due, I quite enjoyed the first episode which proved to be the perfect way to end the weekend, thanks to the engaging plot, great acting and most of all,the stunning Gloucestershire scenery. As always Michael Gambon lit up the screen, this time with his portrayal of the power-crazed parish chairman as did Julia Mackenzie, who plays his equally vile on-screen wife. Those who have read Rowling’s first adult book will know how it ends but for the millions of us who haven’t, we will be hoping it continues to entertain.”
