Revived 'Ten' gains peak audience

News at Ten last night gained its biggest audience since it was revived in January.

Some 4.3m viewers, 20.6% of the audience, tuned in for the ITV1 bulletin, beating the previous high of 4.2m (20.8%) on January 17. The programme has averaged 2.6m (13.1%) since its return, fewer than the slot average last year of 3.3m (16.5%).

BBC One's rival 10 O'Clock News was delayed by extra time in an FA Cup replay. The Middlesbrough versus Sheffield United match, from 8-10.35pm, attracted 4.6m (19.6%) viewers while the news bulletin that followed took 3.6m (24.0%).

ITV1 led the way at 8pm with 5.2m (21.1%) watching The Bill while another 5.2m (21.4%) watched Taggart at 9pm. On BBC Two, Masterchef earned a healthy 4.1m (16.8%) viewers at 8pm, higher than the 2.4m (10.8%) slot average. Torchwood at 9pm also gave the channel a strong showing with 3m (12.5%).

Channel 4 held healthy audiences through the night. At 8pm Relocation, Relocation reached 2.9m (11.9%), Grand Designs Revisited at 9pm took 3.5m (14.4%) and, at 10pm, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA attracted 3.1m (16.6%).

Ice Road Truckers on Five at 8pm outpaced its 746,000 (33%) slot average with 1.9m (7.6%), then at 9pm Extraordinary People: Hope for Hayley reached 1.6m (6.7%).