TV Overnights: ITV wins a prime time ratings run

Billy Connolly’s Route 66 claimed the peak-hour ratings last night with an audience of 4.7 million viewers.

The second episode in the four-part series attracted more than 4.4 million average viewers and a 19.5% audience share during the 9pm to 10pm slot.

In the pre-watershed slot, Emmerdale reached a high of 6.4 million viewers at 8pm, while Coronation Street peaked with 7.2 million viewers in the 8.30pm to 9pm slot.

Eastenders provided the highest ratings for BBC One, meanwhile, with a peak audience of 7.8 million viewers. At 9pm, the channel’s long-running Crimewatch banked 3.8 million average viewers and a 16.9% share.

BBC Two’s new The Spitfire: Britain’s Flying Past with John Sergeant secured 1.8 million average viewers and a 8.3% average share during the 9pm to 10pm peak-hour.

On Channel 4, a new four-part documentary Educating Essex debuted with 1.4 million average viewers and a 6.2% share, while Channel 5’s new The Big Celebrity Swim featuring Ronan Keating settled on a low 597,000 viewers and a 2.6% share.

However, at 10pm Channel 5’s ratings peaked with Big Brother, which picked up more than 1.3 million average viewers and a 7.6% share.

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.