STV Studios celebrate Catchphrase ratings

STV Studios produce the game show for the ITV network.

“Celebrity Catchphrase has become a much-loved staple of Saturday nights for so many viewers over recent years, but the response to our latest series really has exceeded all expectations.

“We’re delighted that, eight years down the line, the show is entertaining more people than ever before, and we’re looking forward to building on this success with a bumper new run later in the year.” – Gary Chippington, Creative Director of Entertainment at STV Studios

The fifth series of Celebrity Catchphrase, which concluded on Saturday (27 February), was the most-watched series of the show ever, with an average audience of 5.1 million viewers across its eight-week run.

The ITV entertainment programme, hosted by Stephen Mulhern, had an audience share of 26% – the highest of any series featuring either celebrity or civilian contestants since the show’s launch in 2013.

Series five, which featured stars including Mo Gilligan, Naga Munchetty, Emily Atack and Richard Ayoade, has so far reached a total of 19.1 million viewers across the country.

Four of the programme’s best-performing episodes of all time featured in the latest series, with the 6 February episode recording the highest peak audience (8.8 million viewers).

Celebrity Catchphrase’s record-breaking ratings success comes despite several episodes being scheduled directly against live Six Nations coverage on BBC One.

Earlier this year, production company STV Studios secured its largest-ever order of the show from ITV, with the sixth series set to include 13 episodes and expected to air as part of ITV and STV’s autumn/winter 2021 schedule.

Catchphrase was originally a fixture of ITV schedules in the 1980s and 90s, produced by TVS and later Carlton Television. Its longest-serving host is comedian Roy Walker. The rebooted version from STV has proved a hit with audiences for staying true to the original, but with an updated look and modern game play.