Ratings Roundup: 'Fame Academy' builds audience

Comic Relief Does Fame Academy showed signs of picking up on Thursday after adding 1 million viewers from the previous night.

The show, which went out in the 8pm hour, averaged 5.92 million viewers - a 25.2% share of the audience - up from Wednesday's 5 million (20.3%). The 9.30pm results show fared less well, however, with 4.32 million (18.8%).

Top show of the night went to Eastenders, which averaged 11.62 million (51.3%) at 7.30pm. ITV1's drama lineup was as reliable as ever meanwhile, beginning at 7pm with Emmerdale on 10.09 million (47.8%). An hour later, 7.09 million (30.1%) tuned in for the latest from Sun Hill, with 6.63 million (28.8%) sticking around for a new Fat Friends in the 9pm hour.

On Channel 4 at 8.30pm, Return of the Chef ended its run at 2.55 million (10.6%), comfortably more than the 1.82 million (7.8%) who were watching Five's movie presentation of Groundhog Day at the same time.

Multichannel's top draw of the day was BBC Three's EastEnders repeat, which averaged 706,000 viewers (6.5%) at 10.30pm. ITV2's Thursday night movie Crocodile Dundee II put in a stronger-than-usual performance with 608,000 (4.5%) between 9pm and 11pm. E4's new episode of ER pulled in 577,000 (3.7%) in the 9pm hour, with an extra 192,000 (1.6%) via E4+1.

BBC Three's extra coverage of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy managed 456,000 (3.4%) at 10pm, while on E4 at the same time, the conclusion to Fool Around With... My Boyfriend entertained just 50,000 (0.4%).

Ratings data supplied by ViewingFigures.com

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