Top Gear roars ahead of Monroe

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/30/top-gear-monroe-tv-ratings

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Top Gear's James Bond special was watched by 4 million viewers, leaving ITV1 drama Monroe both shaken and stirred on Monday night.

50 Years of Bond Cars: A Top Gear Special had 3.47 million viewers on BBC2 and another 549,000 on the BBC HD channel between 9pm and 10pm on Monday, a total share of the audience of 16.1%.

The BBC2 audience was up 176% on the slot average over the last three months.

Jimmy Nesbitt medical drama Monroe was watched by 3 million viewers (12.1%) at the same time on ITV1.

Top Gear also had the better of Channel 4's 999: What's Your Emergency?, which had 2.4 million viewers, 9.7% of the audience.

But the slot was won by the last in the current series of BBC1's New Tricks. The ninth season of the drama starring Dennis Waterman and Amanda Redman finished with 6.8 million viewers (27.2%).

Elsewhere, BBC2 cookery show Nigellissima finished its six-part run with 2.2 million viewers, an 8.9% share, between 8.30pm and 9pm.

Also between 8.30pm and 9pm, Panorama's follow-up to its Winterbourne View hospital investigation was watched by 2.96 million viewers, an 11.7% share.

New Sky Atlantic panel show, Don't Sit in the Front Row, chaired by Jack Dee, began with 45,000 viewers, a 0.2% share, between 9pm and 9.30pm.

Despite its small audience, it was still 43% up on the channel's slot average.

New Children's BBC series Wizards v Aliens, from former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, began with 474,000 viewers, a 3% share, on the CBBC channel. It was 52% up on the three-month slot average.

Channel 5's biggest-rating show of the night was Classic Car Rescue, with 1.34 million viewers (5.3%) between 8pm and 9pm.

All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live, +1 (except for BBC and some other channels including Sky1) 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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