TV

'Doc Martin' returns to ITV1 with nearly 8.5m

Published Tuesday, Sep 13 2011, 11:27 BST | By Andrew Laughlin | 5 comments

The return of Doc Martin proved a ratings winner for ITV1 on Monday night, while Big Brother kept afloat on Channel 5, according to overnight data.

The Martin Clunes-starring drama averaged a healthy 8.43m (32.4%) for ITV1 in the 9pm hour and 304k (1.7%) on +1, easily outperforming The Queen's Palaces, which had 3.86m (14.9%) on BBC One.

Bang Goes The Theory deduced 3.13m (13.9%) on BBC One from 7.30pm and new series Little England launched with 3.31m (13.6%) on ITV1 from 8pm. Panorama mustered 2.89m (11.7%) on BBC One from 8.30pm and A Question Sport fetched 2.52m (17.2%) from 10.45pm.

Big Brother stayed strong on Channel 5, attracting 1.43m (7.6%) in the 10pm hour, before Big Brother's Bit On The Side entertained 570k (6.2%) from 11pm.

Elsewhere on Channel 5, How Do They Do It? captivated 477k (2.1%) from 7.30pm, and Royal Navy Submarine Mission submerged 994k (4%) in the 8pm slot. Soho Blues interested 767k (2.9%) from 9pm.

Dispatches: The Truth About Drugs in Football averaged 1.1m (4.5%) for Channel 4 from 8pm. Embarrassing Bodies educated 1.73m (6.7%) in the 9pm slot and 484k (2.6%) on Channel 4+1. Rude Tube returned with 1.21m (6.9%) from 10pm and 218k (2.5%) on timeshift.

Coast scooped 1.5m (6.9%) on BBC Two in the 7pm hour. University Challenge and Antiques Master captivated 2.88m (11.8%) and 1.84m (7.4%) respectively in the 8pm hour. Dragons' Den enthralled 2.1m (8.1%) from 9pm and 167k (0.6%) on the BBC HD channel. Shooting Stars amused 1.37m (6.6%) and 131k (0.6%) in HD.

Overall, ITV1 dominated primetime with 26.8% (+1: 0.6%) against BBC One's 18.4%. BBC Two scooped third with 7.7%, followed by Channel 4's 5.3% (+1: 0.9%) and Channel 5's 3.8%.

Elsewhere, Hell's Kitchen USA continued with 323k (1.2%) on ITV2 from 10pm and 108k (0.6%) on +1. Victoria Coren's Only Connect quizzed 531k (2.1) on BBC Four from 8.30pm.

Live coverage of the Premier League draw between Queen's Park Rangers and Newcastle United averaged 846k (3.6%) on Sky Sports 1 from 7pm.

BARB ratings data supplied by Attentional