Kiwis binge-watching Doctor Foster drama

Gemma Foster's world comes crashing down when she suspects husband Simon is having an affair in the drama Doctor Foster, now airing on TV One.

It was touted by TVNZ as the show everyone will be talking about and just two episodes in Doctor Foster is delivering.

The five-episode series about marital betrayal and revenge will fill the 8.30pm slot on TV One every night until Thursday.

It launched Sunday with an impressive 411,600 viewers aged 5+ tuning in for its New Zealand debut.

By the following evening that number translated to 478,200 people glued to their screens.

It also proved a major hit among audiences aged 25 to 54, with the 134,000 who watched on Sunday jumping to 182,000 by Monday.

The story follows the heartache of GP Gemma Foster as she sees her charmed life explode when she suspects her husband of an affair.

As the lies and betrayal come to light, she finds herself behaving in ways she never thought imaginable.

"We're really happy with the number of people who have watched Doctor Foster," Juliet Peterson, network programmer for TV One and pay channels said.

"Not only did it win its slot both nights so far, last night saw fantastic growth. [It] has also been a hit online, with huge numbers viewing via TVNZ On Demand."

The BBC series attracted up to 10 million viewers per episode in the UK when it aired in September.

TVNZ hoped to pull a bigger Kiwi audience by using a new binge-watching format which sees the show occupy a one hour chunk for five consecutive nights.

"Binge viewing is obviously a bit of a phenomenon at the moment," Peterson told The Herald on Sunday before Doctor Foster went to air.

"It doesn't work with everything but Doctor Foster is the perfect programme to watch night after night. When we first saw it we just couldn't wait for the next episode, and then the next, so we wanted to give our audience the chance to unravel the truth alongside Gemma Foster as quickly as possible, too."

It's not just the ratings that prove it was the bait needed to hook viewers, many have taken to TV One's Facebook page to share their excitement about the gripping show.

Gemma Foster, the star of TV One's new five episode show Doctor Foster is proving popular with viewers.

"Gosh I'm loving this series TV One, I don't know how she does it, much stronger woman then me..... can't wait to see what she does tomorrow night," Sara Leigh wrote.

"First episode, DONE! and already I am in love with it. MORE, I need moooore,"
Sharnylee McCormack said.

Some even commented on the new format being a huge plus.

"Am really loving that its 5 nights in a row, instead of normally having to wait a week. Love British TV," Treacy Landers said.

"Awesome. So glad it's running over 5 nights in a row. Oh the suspense. Cheers TVNZ," Lois Dunasemante commented.

• Dr Foster TV One, 8.30pm, every night until Thursday and On Demand.

- nzherald.co.nz