BBC2 Christmas special provoked a diplomatic row over a Porsche driven by Jeremy Clarkson with a number plate appearing to refer to the Falklands conflict

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

BBC2’s controversial Top Gear Patagonia special, featuring footage of the production crew’s vehicles being pelted with stones as they fled Argentina, attracted nearly 5 million viewers on Sunday night.

The concluding instalment of the two-parter averaged 4.8 million viewers and a 19.4% audience share from 8pm – more popular than any show on ITV or Channel 4 on Sunday. Only BBC1’s evening lineup had bigger audiences.

Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond and their crew were forced to flee from Patagonia, southern Argentina, in early October after locals became incensed that one of their vehicles had a number plate that appeared to refer to the Falklands conflict.

May and Hammond were driving an old Lotus Esprit and a Mustang, but it was the A Porsche 928, with the number plate H982 FKL, driven by Clarkson, that caused controversy, after it was suggested that the plate referred to the war with Britain in 1982.

The BBC has denied any intended reference, saying the car was bought by a member of the production team and its plate was entirely coincidental.

Top Gear’s production crew were pelted with stones and eggs as they left Argentina with a police escort Photograph: BBC

BBC2 went ahead with the Patagonia special broadcast, despite a formal complaint to the corporation from the Argentinian ambassador to the UK.

Sunday’s episode concluded with several minutes of footage showing the Top Gear production team’s convoy being escorted out of Argentina by police and at one point being pelted with stones and eggs by an angry mob.

Top Gear concluded with an homage to the famous final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which Paul Newman and Robert Redford charge out into a hail of bullets.

The Top Gear Patagonia special ended with an homage to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Photograph: BBC

The first part averaged 4.7 million viewers and a 20.7% share on Saturday from 8.30pm – the second most popular show of the day, beaten only by BBC1’s Pointless Celebrities (6.50pm: 5 million/24.1%).

Still pulling in the viewers

Still Open All Hours was the most watched show on Sunday, the rebooted David Jason corner shop sitcom averaging 6.4 million viewers and a 28.1% share on BBC1 from 7.30pm.

BBC1 dominated Sunday night viewing, Last Tango in Halifax beginning its third series with 5.7 million and 24.3% from 9pm.

Before that, Countryfile had 5 million and 24.1% from 6.30pm, while Antiques Roadshow averaged 4.9 million and 19.6% from 8pm.

ITV, taking an end-of-year breather, had an under-strength Sunday night lineup in which the strongest performers were All Star Family Fortunes Christmas Special (8pm: 3.9 million/15.8%) and All New It’ll Be Alright on the Night (9pm: 3.6 million/15.6%).

Still Open All Hours returned for the start of its second series on Boxing Day, launching with 5.7 million viewers and a 26.8% share from 6.25pm on Friday evening.

BBC1 followed this on Boxing Day with its adaptation of David Walliams’ The Boy In The Dress (6.55pm: 4.8 million/21.3%), EastEnders (8pm: 7.4 million/33.3%) and the terrestrial premiere of Avengers Assemble (8.30pm: 5.3 million/24.3%).

ITV’s top rating Boxing Day show was Coronation Street (7pm: 6.6 million/29.2%), followed by Emmerdale (6.30pm: 4.4 million/20.7%) and a new series of Birds of a Feather (9pm: 4.1 million/18.5%).