Accused: Sean Bean courts 5.3m viewers Jimmy McGovern legal drama makes strong return, as sitcom Bad Education draws highest ratings for a new comedy on BBC3 (GUARDIAN)

John Plunkett
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 August 2012 09.41 EDT

Accused: Sean Bean played a transgender character in the BBC1 drama. Photograph: Matt Squire/BBC/RSJ Films

Jimmy McGovern's legal drama Accused returned to BBC1 with more than 5 million viewers on Tuesday night, while Jack Whitehall sitcom Bad Education bagged the highest viewing figures for a new comedy on BBC3.

Accused, which began its second series with Sean Bean as a transgender character, was watched by 5.3 million viewers, a 23.4% share, between 9pm and 10pm on Tuesday.

It was up on the 3.2 million who watched the final episode of the first series in November 2010.

Accused predictably had the better of a second half of a Lewis repeat on ITV1, watched by 2.9 million viewers, a 13.4% share, between 8pm and 10pm.


READ MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/15/the-accused-sean-bean?newsfeed=true