Overnights: Michael Jackson’s memorial watched by over 8 million

Michael Jackson’s death continued to dominate the media world last night – the coverage of his star-studded memorial service in LA pulled in more than 6 million terrestrial viewers in the UK alone.

BBC Two’s Michael Jackson’s Memorial Live, which was broadcast in place of its usual line-up of early evening shows including Eggheads and Bargain Hunt, attracted more than 5.2 million peak viewers and a 19% average audience share between 6pm and 9pm.

Five also aired the memorial service live from the Staples Centre, with emotional performances from a number of A-list celebrities including Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder, as well as heart-felt speeches by family members including Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter Paris.

Channel Five’s ratings peaked with 1.4 million viewers, securing a 5.3% average audience share between 6pm to 9pm.

On satellite, a peak audience of more than 1.2 million viewers tuned in to see the action on Sky News, while Sky Arts coverage of the event pulled in a high of around 176,000 viewers.

Jackson’s memorial is expected to have been watched by a global audience of around 300 million, according to The Telegraph.

Later on in the evening, BBC One’s Torchwood – Children of Earth, secured the highest ratings during the all-important 9pm to 10pm peak-hour.

The second episode in the five-part Doctor Who spin-off series, starring John Barrowman, attracted 5.5 million viewers and a 24% average audience share – slightly less than its 6 million debut yesterday evening.

Elsewhere, the last in the series of ITV1’s Ladette to Lady just pipped Channel Five to second place with a high of almost 3 million viewers and a 12.3% average share.

Five’s ever-popular CSI: Miami pulled in 2.6 million peak viewers and a 10.8% average share, over a million more than its Jackson coverage.

Meanwhile, BBC Two’s period drama film Girl with a Pearl Earring picked up 1.8 million average viewers compared to Channel 4’s Big Brother‘s 1.7 million.

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.