'Panorama' beaten by ITV current affairs show

Current affairs shows Panorama and Dispatches were beaten in the ratings last night by Tonight with Trevor McDonald.

The ITV1 programme, which featured the work of forensic scientists, attracted 4.9 million and 20% share at 8pm, though this was down on the 5.5 million it managed last week.

BBC One's Panorama followed the story surrounding the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko, and managed to pull in 3.7 million viewers and a 15% audience share of the audience at 8.30pm. The show grew its audience from last week's first episode, which managed just 3 million viewers and an 11% share.

Channel 4's Dispatches lost viewers, managing just 0.9 million and a 4% share for its show looking at the Labour party's links with the gambling industry.

In the soaps, ITV continued to be strong, with Coronation Street pulling in 11.5 million and 11.4 million last night, for its 7.30pm and 8.30pm outings, which managed shares of 49% and 44% respectively. BBC One's Eastenders trailed slightly with 9.5 million, a 39% share at 8pm.

Celebrity Big Brother returned to its normal ratings level following the race row that built up around the programme last week. It recorded an audience of 4 million, 500,000 more than this time last week, but not any near the 8 million peak Jade Goody's eviction show managed on Friday.

Goody's return to the front page helped Living TV, which repeated its reality show Jade's PA, and saw its audience treble from 9,000 last week to 29,000 at 8pm last night.

BBC One's Waking the Dead attracted 7.2 million and a 29% share, with ITV1 Lynda La Plante drama, Trial and Retribution pulling in 5.1 million viewers and a 21% share, down from 5.4 million on Sunday and from 6.6 million last Monday.