Mail’s saucy press gives C5 a rise

The Daily Mail’s crusade against the lax moral standards of some Channel 5 shows has had an unexpected effect.

The Mail was incensed by C5’s Naked Jungle, in which rotund TV presenter Keith Chegwin presented the show in his birthday suit. The newspaper described it as “plumbing new depths” and “scraping the barrel” in an article that ran to three pages of outrage. The organ has also criticised other saucy output from the channel it refers to as “Channel Filth.”

But overnight viewing figures show C5 has been doing exceptionally well recently. One wayward source suggests this could be a result of the Mail’s knocking campaign.

According to C5 figures, last weekend’s average viewing share was 6.6 per cent – similar to the previous weekend and the second best weekend since its launch. And on Saturday June 24, the channel averaged 7.6 per cent – the third best Saturday since its launch.

Could this sudden upsurge in viewing be the result of outraged Mail readers trying to get an eye-full of the C5 nudity and sauce they have read so much about?