'Sexy Money' wilts in 'Benidorm' sun

A strong return for ITV1 comedy Benidorm on Friday saw Channel 4's Dirty Sexy Money drop 1.3m viewers.

Some 6.5m (27.6%) tuned in for the half-hour sitcom at 9pm, putting it well ahead of the channel's 4.3m (19.3%) slot average.

The show's previous high was 5.5m (26.4%) for its series one opener, in a 10pm Thursday slot.

Newcomer Teenage Kicks followed Benidorm as part of ITV1's Comedy Zone initiative.

It drew a much weaker audience of 3.6m (16.1%) viewers, though still an improvement on its predecessor in the slot, Echo Beach. The teen drama came to an end with 2m (8.9%) in the previous week.

While ITV1 flourished at 9pm Channel 4's US drama struggled. Dirty Sexy Money was watched by a decent 2.7m (11.6%) on Good Friday but this time only reached 1.4m (8.2%).

BBC One led the slot with 4.6m (20.1%) seeing a repeat of New Tricks from 9pm, while BBC Two's Torchwood appealed to 2.4m (10.2%). NCIS on Five drew 1.8m (7.8%).

> Click here for in interview with Benidorm cast members