'Emmerdale' thrashes 'Enders' in ratings head-to-head

Emmerdale emerged victorious over EastEnders in a heated head-to-head battle last night.

Both soaps aired special one-hour episodes at 7pm and, according to early figures, Emmerdale came out on top with almost 50% more viewers than its BBC rival.

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.

Click here to see last night's TV ratings in full.