Following its triumphant return to BBC One, Wall To Wall’s flagship drama New Tricks has been commissioned for a sixth series for broadcast in 2009.
With ratings for the fifth series peaking at an impressive 9.24 million, the current run of New Tricks has comprehensively dominated its slot, has regularly been the most watched programme of the evening and according to BARB’s Top 70, the most watched programme on British TV for the weeks ending 13 July, 3 August and 10 August 2008.
The Critics
“It may not have CSI’s $3m-an-hour budget, but New Tricks isn’t just our most popular show – it’s proper genre-mashing cutting-edge Brit TV. Of the old school.” Guardian 12.08.08
“It’s simply a well crafted, well acted whodunit without an agenda. No wonder audiences are lapping it up.” Mail On Sunday 10.08.08
“Guess the BBC’s most popular drama series – not counting soaps – of the last couple of years? With an average audience during last year’s series of 8.2 million, and a peak figure of 9.3 million, the Beeb’s most watched drama is New Tricks, which follows the misadventures of four long-in-the-tooth sleuths investigating cold cases.” Daily Telegraph 30.06.08
New Tricks is a tank, a great big turreted panzer of a television series that gets you in its sights then pins you up against a wall. It’s a beast that brings in audiences of more than eight million every week – even its repeats clock up the kind of figures that would make most dramas put out the bunting and snog each other in the emergency exit stairwell.” Radio Times 16 – 22 August
“It’s good to see such a talented troupe of well-weathered veterans (a category that, of course, excludes the ageless Amanda Redman) working together so beautifully and seeming to enjoy every minute of it.” Daily Mail 04.08.08
“Never afraid to poke fun at itself and its leading actors, this amusing crime drama turns on the Little Britain joke that Dennis Waterman often writes and sings the theme tune of programmes in which he features (even this one, rather gloriously).” Sunday Times 27.07.08
“The combination of jaunty comedy and personal turmoil makes arresting drama.” TV Times 04.08.08
“Viewers showed no signs of growing tired of BBC1's smash hit drama New Tricks as the series returned for a fifth run at 9pm last night with an impressive 8.7m viewers (37.3%). The show was head and shoulders above the channel's slot average for the year so far of 5.4m (22.8%) while for all of 2007 it averaged 5.5m (23.5%). New Tricks comprehensively dominated viewing at the time with its nearest rival ITV1 not even managing to get half the audience of the BBC1 show. New Tricks was the most watched show of the evening, pulling in more viewers than any soap.” Broadcast 08.07.08
