Copyright dailystar
Forget guns and grisly killings… millions of TV viewers are turned off by blood-spattered modern dramas and would rather watch classic, cosy crime shows like Murder, She Wrote, a new study has found. The research from Freeview channel Great Mystery reveals UK viewers love the intrigue more than the gritty realism of shows like Luther when it comes to crime-solving. More than a third (37%) of TV viewers find graphic violence and True Crime programmes a turn- off while four in ten (43%) would rather the dastardly deed was implied or went unseen. Six in ten (60%) Brits believe modern crime shows are too violent, while four in ten (43%) believe there is generally too much graphic content on television already. And, nearly half (46%) of Brits believe classic sleuths like Jessica Fletcher are more engaging than modern TV detectives like DCI Luther, played by Idris Elba. Great Mystery airs classic ‘cosy’ crimes solved by beloved sleuths like Murder, She Wrote’s Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury, and Dick Van Dyke’s Dr Mark Sloan in Diagnosis Murder. Researchers quizzed 2,000 TV viewers of all ages on their preferred level of on-screen violence using a sliding scale from a bloodless zero to a maximum gore level of ten. The average score of 5.7 suggests Brits like the level of violence in their on-screen murders to be somewhere in the middle - happy for a bit of blood, but nothing extreme. Baby Boomers - aged 60 to 78 - are the most likely to change channels due to excessive violence (35%) compared to the nation’s youngest viewers, Gen Z (24%) - aged 18 to 27. Four in 10 (40%) viewers said murder mysteries were a form of “escapism”. And, nearly six in ten (58%) said crime dramas should be strictly entertaining, not disturbing. Viewers were also asked to rank the parts of a murder mystery they enjoy the most with a third (35%) saying it’s the puzzle-solving and mystery itself they love most. For more than a quarter (27%) of fans it is the criminal psychology element they enjoy while nearly as many (26%) love a real-life story. This study is part of the Great TV Network relaunch - driven by a mission to bring back the best of television for a nation of forgotten viewers. Roughly a third of the UK is aged 55 and older - around 22 million viewers. Great TV’s recent ‘The Upper Third’ report found this age group feels the most ignored by modern TV. According to the report, a quarter (26%) of mature viewers feel ignored by today’s producers despite watching more TV than any other age group - averaging three hours and 42 minutes a day. The Great Network also features Good News on Great, a regular news slot dedicated to positive, quirky and uplifting stories. The news segment, produced in partnership with PA Media, reflects the channel’s commitment to offering viewers quality nostalgic entertainment and an escape from the 24/7 stream of bad news and violence across most channels. The September relaunch of the Freeview 34 channel Great TV features TV favourites, including Rising Damp, Murder, She Wrote, and the Carry On classics. Marketing director for Great!, Kate Gartland, said: “In a drive for shock and awe and headlines, many channels have forgotten what viewers really want. When it comes to mystery, viewers want clever storytelling, compelling characters and puzzle-solving. “Most importantly, they want a break from the real-life violence that fills the news. “That's why the Great network runs our Good News on Great alternative news segment full of feel-good stories, and airs household favourites like Murder, She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder - perfect for armchair sleuths of any age.” For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
