The BBC's new production of Robin Hood scooped an average 8.2 million viewers when it debuted at 7pm on Saturday night, with viewers peaking at 8.5 million during its 45-minute slot.

The 13-episode series, which stars Irish actor Jonas Armstrong as the "hooded man", beat ITV1's Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway by over a million viewers, with the Geordie pair managing just 7 million.

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing at 9pm achieved 8.8 million, with ITV1's The X Factor, shown in a slightly earlier 8.30pm slot, managing 8.4 million, with its second part peaking at 9.2 million at 9pm.

An ITV spokesman said: "We are thrilled that nearly 10 million people tuned in to discover who were the final 12 acts who will go on to sing on the live shows next week."