ITV1's News at Nine triumphed in the ratings with nine million viewers last night, according to early figures.

The bulletin, which aired over half an hour, was seen by one in three of the audience; specifically, a 34.1% share. The success of ITV1 over a special 15-minute bulletin on the BBC (5.3m, 20.2%) can be attributed to a hefty inheritance from Heartbeat which preceded it at 20.00 (10.3m, 39.1%).

The BBC's 10 O'Clock News later drew 5.4m and a 23.9% share.

On Saturday the News At Nine managed a 5.8m (21.9%) average.