Viewers flocked to BBC iPlayer in record numbers in May, which has now become iPlayer’s biggest month ever.

There were 570m requests to stream programmes on iPlayer in May, up from 564m programme requests in April, which was the previous best month on record, and growing an extraordinary 72% on the same month last year.

May saw lockdown measures eased slightly and improving weather across the country, but viewers continued returning to iPlayer for hit shows like Normal People (with 54m requests for the series to date) and Killing Eve (with 35m requests for the new series so far, and 163m requests to date for all three series). Other strong performers in May included the new series of family drama The A Word, the one-off special Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe, returning entertainment series The Great British Sewing Bee and Glow Up and continuing favourites EastEnders and Casualty.

Dan McGolpin, controller of BBC iPlayer, says: “BBC iPlayer continues to rise higher with yet another record-breaking month in May - 72% more programme requests than a year ago, it’s been the only place to binge on the wonderful new hit series Normal People and the place to see returning favourite Killing Eve first. Before the lockdown period began and all the way through it, iPlayer has been providing a unique mix of entertaining, informative and educational television whenever and wherever people want it.”

The top ten episodes on iPlayer in May are:
1. Killing Eve Series 3 – Episode 4: Still Got It 4.00M
2. Normal People Episode 1 3.57M
3. Killing Eve Series 3 – Episode 5: Are You from Pinner? 3.42M
4. Normal People Episode 6 3.38M
5. Normal People Episode 2 3.36M
6. Normal People Episode 5 3.29M
7. Normal People Episode 7 3.11M
8. Normal People Episode 11 3.11M
9. Normal People Episode 3 3.09M
10. Normal People Episode 4 3.06M

The top ten episodes per programme on iPlayer in May were:
1. Killing Eve Series 3 - Still Got It 4.00M
2. Normal People Episode 1 3.57M
3. Coronavirus: Live BBC News coverage as PM gives briefing* 25/05/20 1.89M
4. The A Word Series 3 - Episode 1 1.26M
5. EastEnders 05/05/2020 1.22M
6. Charlie Brooker's Antiviral Wipe 873K
7. The Great British Sewing Bee Series 6 - Episode 3 814K
8. Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star Series 2 - Episode 1 803K
9. Casualty Series 34 - Episode 33 776K
10. The Real Marigold Hotel Series 4 - Episode 1 699K

*These figures include requests from BBC iPlayer and BBC News.

In addition to hit new series like Michaela Coel’s brilliant I May Destroy You and the new revival of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, BBC iPlayer has also added a number of archive box sets recently, including Doctor Foster, Strike, Dracula, and Taboo, as well as new box sets like The First Team, What We Do in the Shadows, The Other One and Mayans M.C. BBC iPlayer also added a catalogue of 23 classic films from RKO Pictures.