TV Overnights: The Apprentice wins 8m viewers for BBC One

Lord Alan Sugar’s latest BBC One series claimed the all-important peak-hour ratings with a high of more than eight million viewers last night.

More than 7.4 million average viewers tuned in to see The Apprentice beauty treatment challenge between 9pm and 10pm, securing an average audience share of 29.8% for BBC One during the peak slot.

It knocked ITV1’s Midsomer Murders off the top spot. The long-running crime drama reached a high of 4.7 million peak viewers between 8.30pm and 9pm but slipped down to an average audience of 4.3 million viewers and a 18.7% share during the full 8pm to 10pm slot.

On Channel 4, the third episode of 24 Hours in A&E banked more than two million viewers and a 8.3% average share, while BBC Two’s coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show attracted 1.9 million viewers and a 7.9% share.

Channel 5’s peak-hour show, NCIS, pulled in 1.5 million average viewers and a 6.1% share.

BBC One’s Waterloo Road, with Amanda Burton and William Rush, dominated the pre-watershed ratings. The school drama picked up over 5.4 million peak viewers and a 25.6% average share between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

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.