BBC One back ahead in primetime

BBC One managed a primetime win for the first time in weeks last night in the absence of ITV1's recently-concluded I'm A Celebrity.

The return of Frank Butcher delivered a chart-topping - but still lacklustre - 9.63 million viewers (43.6%) to EastEnders at 7.30pm while at 8, Holby City put in 7.07 million (30%). Shipmates dropped off to 4.46 million (20%) in the following hour.

Emmerdale ranked as ITV1's top performer with 7.81 million (37.6%) and, although Champions League coverage of the clash between Chelsea and Liverpool lagged behind BBC One, it still ranked as the highest-rated game of the season so far with 6.2 million (27%) between 7.30pm and 9.45pm. The new series of Take My Mother-In-Law followed with 3.08 million (15.5%).

BBC Two's Dragons' Den (2.45 million, 10.4%) edged ahead of C4's Property Ladder (2.4 million, 10.2%) to a score a new series high in the 8pm hour but fortunes flipped an hour later with Wife Swap (2.44 million, 10.9%) landing a comfortable victory over Making Slough Happy (0.92 million, 4.1%).

Five began poorly with just 0.69 million (2.9%) for Secrets of the Dating Agency: Revealed but picked up at 9 with ratings bankers CSI: Miami (3.09 million, 13.8%), CSI: NY (2.55 million, 14.8%) and Law & Order (1.41 million, 15%).

Sky One had a strong night in multichannel homes, led by two episodes of The Simpsons with respective audiences of 630,000 (4.3%) and 444,000 (2.8%) in the 7pm hour. New episodes of Stargate SG-1 (597,000, 3.5%) and The 4400 (247,000, 1.5%) put in solid numbers through prime before ratings dropped off to 169,000 (1.3%) for the Weeds finale at 10pm.

ITV2 kept a solid 343,000 (2.1%) with romcom Never Been Kissed between 8pm and 10pm while BBC Three had success with repeats of Little Britain (409,000, 2.5%), EastEnders (660,000, 4.8%) and Two Pints (361,000, 3.2%).