TV Overnights: New Doc Martin attracts 8.1m for ITV1

ITV’s Doc Martin series returned to the prime time slot last night with top ratings of more than 8.1 million viewers.

The first episode of series five of the comedy-drama, set in the fishing village of Portween, attracted over 7.8 million average viewers and a 30.3% audience share during the 9pm to 10pm slot.

It followed ITV1’s pre-watershed ratings run with Emmerdale and double Coronation Street. Emmerdale peaked with 6.8 million viewers between 7pm and 7.30pm, while Corrie reached a high of 8.1 million viewers just before 8pm.

Eastenders provided the top ratings for BBC One with an equal 8.1 million peak viewers during the 8pm to 8.30pm slot. In the 9pm to 10pm peak-hour, The Queen’s Palaces – a new three part series which sees Fiona Bruce explore the stories behind the official royal residences – settled on 3.8 million average viewers and a 14.9% share.

On BBC Two, Dragon’s Den continued with more than two million average viewers and a 8.1% audience share.

Channel 4’s prime time schedule featured three new series – The Truth About Drugs in Football: Dispatches at 8pm (1m viewers); Embarrassing Bodies at 9pm (1.7m viewers); and Rude Tube at 10pm (1.1m viewers).

Soho Blues – the third episode of the six part series – picked up a low 746,000 viewers for Channel 5, while Big Brother secured 1.4 million peak viewers during the 10pm to 11pm slot.

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.