Normal People gets over 16 million requests on BBC iPlayer in its first week
The success of the drama saw BBC Three enjoy its most successful ever week on iPlayer
Normal People received over 16 million requests on BBC iPlayer in its first week - shattering the previous record for a BBC Three show.
The success of the drama, an adaptation of Sally Rooney's best-selling novel, ensured that BBC Three enjoyed its best week ever for programme requests on the on-demand platform.
Since the series premiered last Sunday (26th April) there have been a total of 21.8 million requests for BBC Three programmes, more than double the previous record of 10.8 million in a week following the the release of the first series of Killing Eve in 2018.
The drama, which stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones and was directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, has been a particular hit with the 16-34 age group - with almost 5 million requests coming from that demographic.
Furthermore 70 per cent of all requests for BBC Three programmes on iPlayer were for the show, with a quarter of those having already binge watched the entire 12-episode series.
Fiona Campbell, controller at BBC Three, said, “We’re delighted that Normal People has been such a success and so many people have come to iPlayer to watch it.
"From the initial read through, the phenomenal thought and preparation the Directors put into everything from the aesthetics, locations through to the costumes, we felt this piece would always be incredibly unique and its clear the audience thinks so too.
"It’s a modern masterpiece which has helped in catapulting the careers of two brilliant young actors and we’re looking forward to bringing more drama to BBC Three in the future.”
Meanwhile controller of BBC Drama Piers Wenger and director of BBC Films Rose Garnett added, “BBC audiences have been bewitched by the story of Connell and Marianne, just as we were after reading the transcript of Sally’s extraordinary novel.
"Taking Normal People from script to screen has been an incredible experience and we’re overwhelmed by the response. Lead writers Sally and Alice, directors Lenny and Hettie, all the team at Element Pictures and of course Daisy and Paul should all be so proud of what has been achieved.”
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
