Climax of BBC1 sci-fi series gains 28.3% share of the audience beating All Star Family Fortunes but not The X Factor

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

More than 6 million viewers watched the climax to the latest series of Doctor Who, eclipsing ITV1's All Star Family Fortunes but no match for The X Factor.

Doctor Who, in its sixth series since it returned in 2005 and the second to feature Matt Smith in the leading role, had 6.09 million viewers, a 28.3% share of the audience between 7.05pm and 8pm on Saturday.

It had the better of the second half of All Star Family Fortunes – which has had the edge over the doctor in recent overnight ratings – with 3.6 million viewers, a 19.6% share, between 6.30pm and 7.30pm, rising to 3.86 million when ITV1 +1 is included.

But the Time Lord predictably lost to ITV1's The X Factor, which cleaned up with 9.5 million viewers, a 41.3% share, between 7.30pm and 9.30pm, or 10.06 million with ITV1 +1.

The Jonathan Ross Show, which followed The X Factor on ITV1, had 3.5 million viewers, a 19.5% share, between 9.30pm and 10.30pm, a total of 3.92 million including ITV1 +1.

Ross lost to BBC1's Casualty, which had 4.4 million viewers (21.5%) between 9.25pm and 10.15pm.

Scrum down in front of the box

More than 6 million viewers also watched the climax to England's last-gasp win over Scotland in the rugby World Cup on ITV1.

ITV1's coverage of the 16-12 victory had an average of 3.5 million viewers for full coverage, including pre- and post-match comment and analysis, between 8am and 11.30am.

The match itself, which kicked off at 8.30am, averaged 5.1 million viewers, with a 15-minute peak of 5.8 million between 10am and 10.15am and a five-minute peak of just over 6 million.

Merlin's most fearsome foe – the three-headed X Factor judge monster

The fourth series of BBC1's swords and sorcery drama began with 5.23 million viewers, a 22.7% share, between 7.50pm and 8.35pm.

BBC1's Shine-produced family drama had the misfortune of launching straight into the teeth of The X Factor, which gobbled it up – as it did Doctor Who – with a total audience (including ITV1 +1) of 10.06 million.

Best broadcast interview ever?

Handily timed to coincide with a Radio Times poll that voted David Frost's 1977 interviews with Richard Nixon the best ever transmitted, BBC2's terrestrial premiere of Frost/Nixon had 674,000 viewers, a 4.1% share, between 9.45pm and 11.40pm.

Earlier in the evening Frost on Nixon, in which the veteran broadcaster reminisced with Joan Bakewell about how he landed the interviews, averaged 600,000 viewers and a 2.9% share on BBC2 over two hours from 7pm.

All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated

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