BBC dance contest hits series highs as more than 10 million watch Rachel Riley depart, but ITV show's slide continues

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing hit new series highs at the weekend as Countdown's Rachel Riley became the latest contestant to depart, but the ratings decline continued for ITV's The X Factor.

Saturday's edition of Strictly Come Dancing averaged 9.98 million viewers, a 43.8% share, between 6.30pm and 8.15pm, with a season high peak of 11.1 million.

Sunday night's results show became the first programme in the new series to average more than 10 million viewers, with 10.12m (38.7%) between 7.20pm and 8pm.

Both shows had the better of ITV's The X Factor, which shed viewers for the second series running despite the revamped judging lineup, with the latest figures suggesting no sign of a let-up.

Saturday's edition of The X Factor drew 7.87 million viewers, a 34.1% share, between 8pm and 9.50pm, down from 8.4 million for the equivalent show last year.

Sunday night's The X Factor results show attracted 8.69 million (33%) between 8pm and 9pm, down from 9.2 million for the same results show last year.

Unlike the Simon Cowell show, Strictly Come Dancing has increased its audience year on year, its Saturday show up from 9.6 million last year, while its Sunday results show was up by nearly a million, from 9.2 million last year.

No place like Homeland



After shedding viewers for three successive weeks, Channel 4's US import Homeland bucked the trend by bouncing back to 1.98 million viewers between 9pm and 10pm on Sunday, a 7.7% share of the audience.

Like Alan Partridge, it bounced back after dipping to 1.6 million viewers (6.6%) last week, from a third series launch opener of 2.2 million (9%) on 6 October.

The increasingly convoluted adventures of Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody had the better of BBC2's Great Continental Railway Journeys, with Michael Portillo, which had 1.5 million viewers, a 5.9% share, also between 9pm and 10pm.

Downton Abbey took the 9pm ratings garlands with 9.6 million viewers, a 37.5% share, between 9pm and 10.05pm, with BBC1's offering in the slot, Richard Hammond Builds a Planet, a less than galactic 2.1 million viewers (8%).

I wish it would rain down



Great Continental Railway Journeys followed the first outing for BBC2's new natural history epic, Africa 2013: Countdown to the Rains, presented by Kate Humble and Simon King in Zambia.

The first of a three-part series, it had 1.8 million viewers, a 6.8% share of the audience, between 8pm and 9pm, but was down 19% on BBC2's three-month slot average.

It still had the better of Channel 4 documentary Bigfoot Files, which ended its three-art run with 1.5 million viewers, a 5.8% share.

At the same time on BBC1, department store drama The Paradise had 4.7 million viewers, an 18% share.

Channel 5 earned a double-digit share of the audience with free-to-air TV disaster movie premiere 2012, starring John Cusack. It was watched by 1.8 million viewers, an 11% share, between 9pm and 12.10am.

In the world of pay-TV, Karl Pilkington: the Moaning of Life continues to do good business for Sky 1, watched by 691,000 viewers, a 2.7% share, between 9pm and 10.05pm.

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email media@theguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.