'Patrick Gower: On P' documentary a ratings hit on Three

Patrick Gower in Patrick Gower: on P. Photo / Supplied

Patrick Gower's latest documentary was a hit with viewers, according to ratings.

Close to half a million people tuned in last night to his latest documentary, Patrick Gower: On P. The film saw Gower, a former NZ Herald reporter, take a critical look at the world of methamphetamine or "P" in New Zealand.

According to ratings released by Three, the broadcast reached 486,442 people across the country, and 258,694 viewers in the 25-54 demographic. The figures mean the documentary is the top local show for the year so far on the TV network.

The message in Gower's documentary was that New Zealand should take a health-based approach when dealing with methamphetamine users.

Gower said in a statement about the ratings: "I am really, really stoked. I am just so happy that Kiwis got around their screens to learn about what this evil drug methamphetamine is doing to Aotearoa New Zealand. These numbers show that people really care."

"We have to do something different, we need the Government to help set
up health-based support for methamphetamine users around the country,"

Patrick Gower in Patrick Gower: on P. Photo / Supplied

He dedicated the documentary to a Mum he knew who "never gave up on her son with an addiction".

The journalist was on the cover of Canvas magazine last week and Gower was brutally honest in an interview about the aftermath of emergency surgery that saved his eyesight.

Posting on Instagram in April, Gower shared a photo of himself post-surgery and admitted he was "too scared to come back to work on live TV" at the time.

Gower's fifth documentary follows his other investigative films on topics including the use of marijuana, and 2020's Covid-19 lockdown.

His sixth doco is set for release later this year.

• Patrick Gower: On P is available to stream on ThreeNow.