Consolidated viewing figures released today - taking account of timeshifted viewing on a television over a seven day period - show that Channel 4’s drama Kiri was watched by an average of nearly five million viewers – the largest for a Channel 4 drama since modern records began.

The four-part drama starring Sarah Lancashire was watched by an average of 4.9m viewers an audience share of 18.7% (timeshifted viewing) – up 2.1m on the average number of viewers who watched Kiri go out live. And it is the biggest ever drama series on All 4 achieving more than half a million views per episode.

Kiri, made by independent production company The Forge and written by BAFTA-winner Jack Thorne (National Treasure), is the broadcaster’s most watched drama, taking into account consolidated views, beating the previous record held by Humans which was watched by an average consolidated audience of 4.7m

Channel 4’s Head of Drama, Beth Willis, said: “Dramas like Kiri - British, topical, complex and illuminating - are exactly the kind of dramas we want to make at Channel 4 and we are thrilled that they’re able to find such a huge and engaged audience. We are honoured that the brilliant Jack Thorne, The Forge and the astonishing cast felt that Channel 4 was the right home for this thoughtful and gripping drama.“

The serial drama examines the abduction of a young black girl, named Kiri, who is soon-to-be-adopted by her white foster family.

At the heart of the drama lies Miriam, played by BAFTA and RTS award-winner Sarah Lancashire, an experienced no-nonsense social worker who arranges for Kiri to have an unsupervised visit with her biological grandparents. But when Kiri disappears during the visit the finger of blame from the police, press and even her colleagues point firmly at Miriam.