ITV pips BBC One to the highest ratings

ITV1’s Billy Connolly: Journey to the Edge of the World attracted 4.2 million peak viewers last night, securing the highest ratings during the 9pm to 10pm slot.

The third episode in the four-part series, which saw the comedian board a Russian cruise ship to make a trip through the Northwest Passage, pulled in more than 4 million average viewers and a 17.8% audience share, putting ITV just ahead of BBC One’s New Tricks.

The popular BBC drama also gained 4.2 million peak viewers in the final 15 minutes of the show and secured over 4 million average viewers throughout the all-important 9pm to 10pm hour, however, it fell just below ITV1 in terms of audience share with an average of 17.5%.

Elsewhere,Channel 4’s new three-part drama series that is set against the backdrop of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970s and 1980s – Red Riding – picked up a respectable 3.3 million peak viewers and a 12.3% average audience share between 9pm and 11pm.

BBC Two’s new offering – a documentary series named Darwin’s Dangerous Ideas – didn’t do quite as well with just 1.6 million average viewers and a 7.2% share.

However, it did come ahead of Five in terms of ratings – the last in Channel Five’s documentary series following police in London’s West End, Soho Blues, picked up just 935,000 average viewers and a 4% audience share.

Meanwhile, BBC One’s Eastenders attracted the highest ratings of the evening, pulling in 8.4 million peak viewers and a 38% average audience share between 7.30pm and 8pm.

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.