Motoring show hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May retains title of BBC2's most popular show

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

The star in a reasonably outrageous programme – AKA Top Gear – returned to BBC2 with more than 5 million viewers on Sunday night.

Jeremy Clarkson has endured no shortage of controversies since the last run of the BBC2 motoring show from striking public sector workers to a complaint from the Indian High Commission.

Top Gear, presented by Clarkson alongside Richard Hammond and James May, was watched by 5.1 million viewers, a 17.2% share of the audience between 8pm and 9pm, including 793,000 on BBC HD, remaining by some distance BBC2's most popular show.

It was 150% up on the BBC2 slot average over the last three months and left Channel 4's docusoap The Hotel on the starting blocks, with 1.3 million viewers, a 4.2% share, across Channel 4 and Channel 4+1 (see our new ratings reporting style below).

It was a particular boost for the generally underwhelming BBC HD channel – due to be replaced with BBC2 HD – which enjoyed an 800% uplift on its three-month slot average.

TOWIE loses its vajazzle

The Only Way is Essex returned for a fourth series with 1.16 million viewers, a 5.6% share, between 10pm and 10.45pm across ITV2 and ITV2+1.

TOWIE was the most-watched multichannel show of the day and 80% up on the channel's slot average over the last three months, but down on the total audience of 1.7 million viewers who watched the third series launch in September last year.

Sky1's new series Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew, starring Got To Dance judge Ashley Banjo, launched with 555,000 viewers, a 2% share, between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

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BBC1's Sebastian Faulks adaptation Birdsong finished its two-part run with 5.4 million viewers (21.8%) between 9pm and 10pm. It was down on the 6 million (23.6%) who watched last Sunday's opener.

Birdsong lost out to the second half of ITV1's long-running Wild at Heart, which had 6.5 million viewers on ITV1 and ITV1+1 between 9pm and 10pm, a total share of the audience of 23.2%.

Ice ice baby

BBC1's new Sunday night drama Call the Midwife, already commissioned for a second series, celebrated with its biggest audience yet, an average of 8.7 million viewers (29.3%) between 8pm and 9pm. It was 100,000 up on last week, and 700,000 more than its debut two weeks ago.

It once again had the better of ITV1's Dancing on Ice, which had 7.8 million viewers (28.8%) across ITV1 and ITV1+1 between 6.45pm and 8.30pm.

But the celebrity ice dance show edged out BBC1's rural affairs behemoth Countryfile, watched by 6.8 million viewers (26%) between 7pm and 8pm.

Dancing on Ice returned for its results show with 6.1 million (24.1%) between 9.30pm and 10pm.

Toughest place to be ... a Ewan McGregor film premiere

BBC2's Toughest Place to be ... a Binman had 2.6 million viewers, a 10.1% share, between 9pm and 10pm. It beat the opening hour of Channel 4's movie premiere The Ghost, which had 1.7 million viewers (8.3%) between 9pm and 11.35pm.

The first of a new three-part series, Toughest Place to be ... sends British workers to do their jobs under testing conditions abroad.

BBC2 followed it with a premiere of its own, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, a documentary watched by 1.4 million viewers (8.5%) between 10pm and 11.30pm.

All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live, +1 (except for BBC and some other channels) and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, 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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