TV Overnights: ITV1 dominates the Sunday evening top spot

ITV1 secured the highest ratings during the peak-slot last night with Dancing on Ice and Wild at Heart.

More than nine million peak viewers tuned in to see the 10 remaining contestants battle it out to keep their place on Dancing on Ice between 6.25pm and 8.30pm.

The two-hour long show, which featured an opening performance from Pixie Lott and Torvill and Dean, pulled in over 8.1 million average viewers and a 30.9% audience share.

The fifth episode of Wild at Heart with Stephen Tompkinson followed with 7.2 million average viewers and a 26.6% share, before the second part of Dancing on Ice, which saw Heather Mills voted off in the ‘Skate Off’.

The second show pulled in around 7.6 million peak viewers and a 28.8% average audience share between 9.30pm and 10pm.

However, BBC One’s Sunday evening line-up didn’t come far behind in the peak-time ratings war.  The channel’s long-running Antiques Roadshow picked up 6.7 million average viewers between 7pm and 8pm, while Lark Rise to Candleford attracted 6.3 million viewers between 8pm and 9pm.

Seven Ages of Britain followed with 4.2 million average viewers and a 16% audience share during the all-important 9pm to 10pm peak-hour.

BBC One also had a good run on Saturday.  The channel secured the peak audience throughout the whole day-time schedule and into the evening, with the exception of two 30-minute slots at 7pm and 9pm for ITV1’s Harry Hill’s TV Burp and All Star Mr & Mrs.

BBC One’s Live Six Nations Rugby coverage of the England v Wales game peaked with more than 7.2 million viewers, while So You Think You Can Dance picked up 5.2 million peak viewers and Casualty pulled in over 5.7 million viewers.

On Friday, BBC One also dominated the evening ratings with Eastenders and Silent Witness, which attracted 9 million viewers and 5.3 million viewers respectively.

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.