The debut of new BBC Three drama Normal People has given the online channel its best week ever, more than doubling the previous record.
In the seven days following the series premier on Sunday 26 April, total requests for BBC Three programmes stands at over 21.8 million.
Normal People makes up for over 70% of the total number of requests for BBC Three shows and according to signed in data, a quarter of all accounts requesting it have already watched the whole series. The drama has been a hit with audiences and critics alike and has received over 16.2 million requests for the series in its first week of availability, with nearly five million requests from 16-34s.
The previous record for BBC Three was 10.8 million total requests in a week, following the release of the first series of the award-winning Killing Eve in 2018.
“From the initial read-through, the phenomenal thought and preparation the directors put into everything from the aesthetics and locations through to the costumes, we felt this incredible piece would always be unique, and it’s clear the audience thinks so too,” said Fiona Campbell, controller, BBC Three.
The 12-part 30-minute drama has been adapted from the novel by Sally Rooney. Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe adapted the novel for TV alongside Rooney.
