The first episode in the new series of The Madame Blanc Mysteries won solid ratings this Thursday night, despite going head to head with The Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked.
Just under one million people (990,000) tuned in for the cosy crime drama, which returned for its fifth series. That number doesn’t include those streaming on 5 live, or later, on demand.
The fifth series of Clapperboard and Saffron Cherry’s crime caper returned on par with its previous two series launches.
It was level with the 975,000 (8.1%) who tuned into the fourth series at the same time on a Thursday in March 2025, albeit with an improved share, and was fractionally ahead of the 944,000 (6.5%) who watched the third edition’s opener in January 2024. However, it was behind the 1.3m (8.1%) entertained by the second series in December 2022 and the 1.6m (11.3%) who watched the series debut in the same slot on a Saturday in October 2021.
The Madame Blanc Mysteries was comfortably ahead of the 650,000 (5.9%) slot average.
5 followed The Madame Blanc Mysteries with another Sally Lindsay vehicle, A Night In, a visualised podcast from Saffron Cherry and Spirit Studios where the actor interviews celebrity guests about the TV moments that shaped their lives.
Elsehwere, The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked was watched by 4.5million, Big Brother 500,000 and Long Lost Family 990,000.
The Celebrity Traitors won the most viewers last night with more than ten million watching.
Source: overnights.tv
The Madame Blanc Mysteries has enjoyed a strong ratings return on 5, attracting almost one million viewers for the opening episode of its fifth series despite facing competition from The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked.
The cosy crime drama, starring Sally Lindsay, drew 990,000 viewers on Thursday night, according to overnight figures from overnights.tv.
The result puts the show comfortably ahead of its slot average of 650,000 (5.9%) and marks a solid start for the latest run of the Clapperboard and Saffron Cherry production.
The figure does not include viewers watching live on 5’s streaming service or those catching up on demand.
How does The Madame Blanc Mysteries compare with previous series?
The fifth series launch was broadly in line with the previous two series premieres, maintaining the programme’s established audience despite a challenging Thursday night schedule.
It was slightly ahead of the 975,000 viewers (8.1%) who watched the fourth series opener in the same Thursday slot in March 2025. The latest episode also recorded an improved audience share.
It was also ahead of the 944,000 viewers (6.5%) who tuned in for the third series launch in January 2024.
However, the latest figures remain below the show’s earlier peaks. The second series attracted 1.3 million viewers (8.1%) in December 2022, while the original series debut pulled in 1.6 million (11.3%) when it launched in the same slot on a Saturday in October 2021.
Nevertheless, a near-million audience represents a positive start for the fifth series, particularly given the strength of the competition.
The Celebrity Traitors dominates Thursday night ratings
The Madame Blanc Mysteries faced a major ratings challenge from The Celebrity Traitors, which continued to command huge audiences.
The Celebrity Traitors itself was the night’s biggest draw, with more than 10 million viewers tuning in.
The accompanying programme, The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, attracted 4.5 million viewers, putting it well ahead of the competition.
Elsewhere, Big Brother drew 500,000 viewers, while Long Lost Family attracted 990,000.
Following The Madame Blanc Mysteries, 5 aired another Sally Lindsay project, A Night In. The visualised podcast, produced by Saffron Cherry and Spirit Studios, sees the actor interview celebrity guests about the television moments that have shaped their lives.
With its fifth series now underway, The Madame Blanc Mysteries has demonstrated that it can still attract a substantial audience, even when competing against one of television’s biggest current hits.
Overnight ratings figures: overnights.tv.
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