BBC iPlayer stats led by Luther in January

Detective drama Luther was the best-performing programme on the BBC iPlayer in January, in a month dominated by drama content.

Luther

According to BBC stats, the top twenty iPlayer programmes of the month were all dramas with Luther taking the top four spots for episodes one to four of its season five run, which notched up 11 million requests in total.

Luther series five, episode one was the single most requested show during January with 3.7 million requests, while episodes of Silent Witness, EastEnders and the BBC’s adaptation of Les Misérables all also featured among the top 10 most-requested programmes.

The same shows were among the top-10 best-performing series overall in January, along with Call the Midwife, Doctor Who, Death in Paradise, Match of the Day and live coverage of The FA Cup.

“It’s been a very good start to 2019 on BBC iPlayer with new drama in particular drawing large audiences in January,” said Dan McGolpin, controller of programming for the BBC.

“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.”