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BBC One landed its lowest Tuesday share in more than six years last night, according to early figures.
The disappointment was headlined by a severe loss in a heated head-to-head battle between EastEnders and ITV1's Emmerdale, both of which aired one-hour specials at 7pm.
An average of 9.06 million viewers - a 40.6% share of the available audience - tuned to see Charity Dingle's exit on ITV1, while just 6.27 million (28.1%) opted for the latest from Albert Square.
The figures mark EastEnders' second lowest ever in its 20-year history; the lowest being 6.2 million during another head-to-head in September of last year.
Elsewhere, hospital drama Holby City managed to claw some viewers back to the channel in the 8pm hour with an average of 6.74 million (28.4%), comfortably more than the 4.29 million (18.1%) who were watching ITV1's Celebrity Fit Club at the same time.
That was only a temporary respite, however; at 9pm viewers switched away from BBC One in their droves, with only a deathly 2.07 million (8.9%) sticking around for new series You Be The Judge.
BBC Two, meanwhile, flourished with an average of 5.41 million (23.5%) for its coverage of the FA Cup game between Sheffield United and Arsenal. Five also fared well with a new CSI drawing 3.46 million (14.9%) at 9pm and a repeat of CSI: Miami averaging 2.57 million (12.5%) in the following hour. The last episode of C4's Brat Camp was similarly successful with 3.29 million (14.2%).
ITV1's Harold Shipman profile To Kill and Kill Again brought in 3.82 million (16.9%) between 9pm and 10.30pm.
All factors combined to give BBC One an average peaktime share of just 21%, its lowest on a Tuesday since 1998.
As some consolation, multichannel's top draw was a repeat of EastEnders, which averaged 952,000 viewers and a 6.9% share for BBC Three in the 10pm hour.
ITV2's movie premiere of Mission: Impossible II performed strongly with an average of 689,000 (4.9%) from 9pm. With an average of 616,000 (3.8%), a Sky One Enterprise repeat was the third most-watched show of the day, with the 7pm episodes of The Simpsons taking fourth and fifth with audiences of 578,000 (4.1%) and 526,000 (3.4%) respectively.
Sky One also enjoyed success with a new Stargate: Atlantis, which attracted 477,000 (3%) in the 9pm hour. E4's The OC, meanwhile, averaged 245,000 (1.5%).
Ratings data supplied by ViewingFigures.com
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