Doctor Who and I'm A Celebrity make splash in high-rating 'Super Sunday'

More than 9 million viewers saw the return of Doctor Who on BBC1, while nearly 10 million people saw the beginning of the ninth series of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! on ITV1 last night, Sunday 15 November.

The latest one-off Doctor Who special, the first of David Tennant's final three episodes in the role, averaged 9.1 million viewers and a 34% share between 7pm and 8pm, according to unofficial overnight figures.

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! returned with 9.8 million viewers and a 36% share between 9pm and 10.30pm on ITV1.

This was the reality show's highest-rating launch show since series three in 2004, which began with 10.1 million viewers, a 41% share. That series, won by Kerry Katona, went on to be the best-rating run of I'm a Celebrity.

The ITV1 series, hosted by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, benefited from a huge inheritance from The X Factor, which averaged 14.3 million viewers and a 48% share between 8pm and 9pm, peaking with 15.2 million for its final 15 minutes.

ITV1's Simon Cowell talent show was marginally down on last week's performance, which averaged 14.4 million, with a 15.4 million 15-minute peak.

However, it was still the second best ever audience for The X Factor – the third best was two Sundays ago, when 13.9 million tuned in.

Top Gear returned to BBC2 at 9pm – an hour later than its usual slot to avoid a clash with The X Factor – but ended going up against I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! instead.

Jeremy Clarkson's motoring show drew 5.5 million viewers and a 19% share between 9pm and 10pm.

Doctor Who beat ITV1's All Star Family Fortunes, which averaged 6.1 million viewers and a 22% share.

But ITV1 turned the tables at 8pm, when The X Factor beat BBC1's Antiques Roadshow, which pulled in 5.8 million viewers, 20% of the audience.

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! had the better of the third part of BBC1's legal drama, Garrow's Law: Tales from the Old Bailey, which drew 4.5 million viewers and a 16% share between 9pm and 10pm.

Top Gear's audience of 5.5 million was down on the 6.4 million who saw the final episode of the last series, but still did more than enough to take second place in the ratings in the competitive 9pm slot.

All three of the night's big shows had digital spin-offs. The most popular was The Xtra Factor on ITV2 at 9pm, which attracted 1.1 million viewers and a 4.1% share between 9pm and 10pm.

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here Now! averaged 657,000 viewers and a 5.2% multichannel share, between 10.30pm and 11.35pm, also on ITV2.

BBC3's Doctor Who Confidential, which followed BBC1's latest Doctor Who episode at 8pm, generated 594,000 viewers, a 2.1% multichannel share.

As BBC1 and ITV1 wheeled out their big guns, Channel 4 and Channel Five took solace in Hollywood movies. Channel 4's double Clint Eastwood terrestrial premiere, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, picked up 1 million and 300,000 viewers respectively at 9pm and 11.35pm. Flags of Our Fathers had another 91,000 viewers on Channel 4 +1.

Five's movie repeats pairing featured the 1974 disaster movie The Towering Inferno, which drew 800,000 viewers and a 3% share between 6.50pm and 9.55pm. Another 500,000 saw Ashton Kutcher comedy Dude, Where's My Car?, between 10pm and 11.45pm.

A narrative repeat of James May's Toy Stories on BBC2 pulled in 2 million viewers and a 7% share at 7pm, while Ray Mears's Northern Wilderness drew 1.9 million and 6% at 8pm.

Channel 4's Come Dine With Me picked up 1.4 million viewers and a 5% share between 8pm and 9pm, with another 138,000 on Channel 4 +1.

An extra showing for new BBC2 comedy Miranda, written by and starring Miranda Hart as a joke shop owner, pulled in 1.7 million viewers and a 7% share at 10pm, to go with the 2.5 million people who first watched it last Monday.

Elbow were the subject of the latest South Bank Show on ITV1, which drew 1 million viewers and a 9% share between 10.45pm and 11.45pm.

The South Bank Show lost out to another showing for Jane Horrocks movie Little Voice on BBC1, which pulled in 2.1 million viewers and a 17% share.

Five's most-watched programme came earlier in the day with another showing for film sequel, Spiderman 2, which drew 2 million viewers and an 11% share between 4.20pm and 6.50pm.

Spiderman 2 beat Channel 4's Deal or No Deal, with 1.8 million viewers between 4.55pm and 5.45pm, and the opening of Alicia Silverstone film Clueless, which picked up 800,000 viewers and a 4% share between 5.45pm and 7.30pm.

Deal or No Deal and Clueless pulled in another 118,000 and 77,000 viewers respectively on Channel 4 +1.

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