TV Overnights: New Law & Order wins the top spot for ITV1

ITV1’s new Law & Order: UK series started on a high of more than 5.7 million viewers last night.

The first of six episodes banked the top ratings during the all-important 9pm to 10pm peak-hour with 5.2 million average viewers and a 21% audience share.

BBC One’s Motorway Cops was ITV1’s closest competitor with an average audience of more than 2.9 million viewers and a 11.7% share.

However, Channel 4’s real-life documentary One Born Every Minute came a close third in the peak-hour ratings war with 2.5 million average viewers and a 10% share.

On Channel 5, the final Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol finished on 1.3 million viewers and a 5.4% average share, while BBC Two’s When Teenage Meets Old Age secured 1.4 million viewers and a 5.8% share between 9pm and 10pm.

In the pre-watershed slots, the soaps dominated the ratings – with BBC One’s Eastenders and ITV1’s Coronation Street pulling in an equally impressive number of viewers (both peaking with 9.4 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.