The Great British Bake Off managed to fend off all competitors this month by achieving by far and away the highest rating in October. Since switching channels from BBC Two to BBC One, the baking contest has steadily improved its ratings, with the final watched by 13.5 million.
ITV’s traditional autumn ratings winners were left trailing behind the BBC’s cookery behemoth, with both Downton Abbey and The X Factor failing to break 10 million viewers in October.
Julian Fellowes’ long running period drama managed an audience of 9.8 million viewers, just ahead of Simon Cowell’s singing competition, The X Factor that had 9.6 million.
Other shows that did well this October were Grantchester, which was seen by just under 7 million viewers for its opening episode; and the return of Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis, which was watched by 6.7 million people.
Elsewhere BBC One’s The Missing, starring James Nesbitt, attracted an audience of 6.3 million, while ITV’s historical drama about the Great Fire of London, The Great Fire, gathered 5.6 million dedicated viewers.
Top Programmes (excluding soaps):
| Sorting | Programme | On Air Date | Genre | Station | Start / End | Viewers (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF | Wednesday 8 October 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 20:00-20:59 | 13.51 |
| 2 | STRICTLY COME DANCING | Saturday 25 October 2014 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 18:34-20:17 | 10.66 |
| 3 | STRICTLY COME DANCING: THE RESULTS | Sunday 26 October 2014 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 19:19-20:00 | 10.09 |
| 4 | DOWNTON ABBEY | Sunday 26 October 2014 | Drama | ITV | 21:02-22:02 | 9.84 |
| 5 | THE X FACTOR (SERIES 11) | Sunday 5 October 2014 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 19:59-20:58 | 9.57 |
| 6 | THE X FACTOR RESULTS (SERIES 11) | Sunday 12 October 2014 | Light Entertainment | ITV | 20:13-21:14 | 9.32 |
| 7 | THE APPRENTICE | Tuesday 14 October 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 8.22 |
| 8 | DOCTOR WHO | Saturday 11 October 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 20:36-21:23 | 7.11 |
| 9 | GRANTCHESTER | Monday 6 October 2014 | Drama | ITV | 21:00-21:59 | 6.95 |
| 10 | COUNTRYFILE | Sunday 26 October 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 18:19-19:18 | 6.78 |
| 11 | LEWIS (SERIES 8) | Friday 10 October 2014 | Drama | ITV | 21:02-22:01 | 6.65 |
| 12 | THE MISSING | Tuesday 28 October 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 6.28 |
| 13 | SCOTT & BAILEY | Wednesday 29 October 2014 | Drama | ITV | 21:03-22:02 | 5.87 |
| 14 | NEW TRICKS | Monday 13 October 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 5.84 |
| 15 | CASUALTY | Saturday 4 October 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:15-22:04 | 5.75 |
| 16 | WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? | Thursday 2 October 2014 | Factual | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 5.74 |
| 17 | OUR ZOO | Wednesday 8 October 2014 | Drama | BBC1 | 21:00-21:59 | 5.66 |
| 18 | THE GREAT FIRE | Thursday 16 October 2014 | Drama | ITV | 21:02-22:01 | 5.63 |
| 19 | SIX O’CLOCK NEWS | Monday 6 October 2014 | News | BBC1 | 18:00-18:28 | 4.92 |
| 20 | HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU | Friday 10 October 2014 | Light Entertainment | BBC1 | 21:00-21:29 | 4.87 |
Sky vs Freeview (share):
| Sky | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 22.12 | 25.96 | 3.84 |
| BBC2 | 4.52 | 6.62 | 2.10 |
| ITV 1 | 13.24 | 15.52 | 2.28 |
| Channel 4 | 5.08 | 5.36 | 0.28 |
| Channel 5 | 4.04 | 4.64 | 0.60 |
| Others | 50.96 | 41.94 | -9.02 |
Sky vs Cable Digital (share):
| Sky | Cable Digital | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 22.12 | 24.46 | 2.34 |
| BBC2 | 4.52 | 5.00 | 0.48 |
| ITV 1 | 13.24 | 15.02 | 1.78 |
| Channel 4 | 5.08 | 5.88 | 0.80 |
| Channel 5 | 4.04 | 4.48 | 0.44 |
| Others | 50.96 | 45.22 | -5.74 |
Cable Digital vs Freeview (share):
| Cable Digital | Freeview | Difference in share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC1 | 24.46 | 25.96 | 1.50 |
| BBC2 | 5.00 | 6.62 | 1.62 |
| ITV 1 | 15.02 | 15.52 | 0.50 |
| Channel 4 | 5.88 | 5.36 | -0.52 |
| Channel 5 | 4.48 | 4.64 | 0.16 |
| Others | 45.22 | 41.94 | -3.28 |
