'Hell's Kitchen' is breakout hit for ITV

New celebrity reality series Hell's Kitchen is shaping up to become the next breakout hit for ITV.

The two-week show - which sees ten celebrities working as chefs underneath infamous foulmouth Gordon Ramsay - got off to a strong start on Sunday with an average of 7 million viewers and a 31.2% share of the audience.

By last night the ratings were up to an average of 8.3 million and a 31.7% share in the 9pm hour, putting it ahead of BBC One's Murphy's Law, which had 4.9 million (21.3%).

The show was no doubt helped by the Todd Grimshaw sexuality storyline in Coronation Street, which had huge audiences for its record three shows. The first, shown at 7.30pm, pulled in 12.2m (61.4%) and a peak of 13.1m (62.7%). The 8.30pm episode drew 12.2m (50.5%) and a peak of 13.7m (54.9%) while the final 10pm airing attracted 11.5m (50.5%) and a 12.2m (53.7%) peak.

ITV's decision to strip Hell's Kitchen across 14 nights on ITV1 with extra shows and live coverage on ITV2 is comparable to the strategy adopted for I'm A Celebrity, which had a high of 16 million viewers during its third run earlier this year.