TV Overnights: ITV1’s new Sunday night line-up wins the peak ratings
ITV1’s new year Sunday night line-up with Dancing on Ice and Wild at Heart proved to be a ratings-winner during prime time last night.
Dancing on Ice returned with a new set of celebrities up for the challenge. In a change from previous series, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby presented the first of two preliminary rounds, which saw the public voting for their favourite stars to stay.
The first and main show, which included performances from Kerry Katona and Angela Rippon, attracted a high of more than 9.5 million viewers and a 31.3% average audience share between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
Meanwhile, the second ‘Skate-off’ show, which saw Rippon and Nadia Sawalha voted off, pulled in 7.1 million peak viewers and a 27% share between 9.30pm and 10.15pm.
In between the two programmes, Wild at Heart returned to ITV1 with an audience of more than 7.7 million peak viewers. The hour-long drama series set in South Africa with Stephen Tompkinson and Dawn Steele banked a 27.3% average share (and the peak ratings) for the channel from 8.30pm.
ITV1 also secured the top spot during the afternoon schedule with its Live FA Cup Football coverage. More than five million viewers tuned in to watch the Manchester United v Liverpool game between 1pm and 4pm.
ITV1’s line-up also stole the limelight from BBC One’s new Lark Rise to Candleford and second Zen. The return of the period drama pulled in 6.6 million average viewers and a 23.7% share between 8pm and 9pm, before Zen picked up 4.6 million viewers and a 18.1% share between 9pm and 10.30pm.
Elsewhere, BBC Two’s 10pm film premiere of The Men Who Stare at Goats banked 1.3 million average viewers, while Channel 4’s 9 o’clock comedy film Run Fat Boy Run attracted 1.1 million average viewers.
On Saturday, BBC One had more luck, securing the peak ratings from 3pm onwards. The Darts World Championships, Final Score, Total Wipeout, The Magicians and The National Lottery all proved popular among viewers, though Casualty and Come Fly with Me banked the top ratings during the all-important peak slots.
More than six million average viewers tuned in to BBC One for hospital drama Casualty between 8.50pm and 9.40pm. Meanwhile, the repeat of the first episode of Matt Lucas and David Walliams’ spoof documentary Come Fly with Me picked up a lower 3.3 million average viewers between 9.40pm and 10.10pm.
Over on ITV1, Paddy McGuinness’ Take Me Out continued with 3.5 million average viewers and a 14.5% share at 8pm, before another repeat – Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: Cheryl Cole – achieved an audience of 1.8 million viewers from 9pm.
Overnight data is available each morning in mediatel.co.uk’s TV Database, with all BARB registered subscribers able to view reports for terrestrial networks and key multi-channel stations.