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Utopia: pulled in 482,000 viewers
Utopia: pulled in 482,000 viewers. Photograph: Ryan McNamara/Channel 4 Photograph: Ryan McNamara/Channel 4
Utopia: pulled in 482,000 viewers. Photograph: Ryan McNamara/Channel 4 Photograph: Ryan McNamara/Channel 4

Big Brother helps Channel 5 beat Channel 4 in all-day ratings

This article is more than 9 years old
Richard Desmond’s channel has the edge over C4 and BBC2, as MTV’s Geordie Shore attracts bigger audience than Utopia

Channel 4 was beaten in the ratings by Channel 5 on Tuesday, as the latter enjoyed its annual Big Brother ratings bump and critically acclaimed drama Utopia lost out to the return of Geordie Shore on MTV.

Channel 5 had a 5.1% share of the all-day audience, ahead of Channel 4’s 4.8%. It also beat BBC2, which was marginally ahead of Channel 4 with 4.9%.

Channel 4 narrowly had the edge over Channel 5 across much of peaktime, although none of its shows managed more than the 1.4 million (7.1%) who saw Undercover Boss at 9pm, beating C5’s CSI, with 1.3 million (6.7%).

The third episode of Channel 4 drama Utopia could only manage 482,000 viewers (3.1%) at 10pm, beaten by Channel 5’s Big Brother, with 1.2 million viewers (7.3%) also at 10pm.

Utopia also lost out to the return of MTV docusoap Geordie Shore, watched by 541,000 viewers, a 3.4% share, at 10pm, more than three times the channel’s slot average.

Earlier, Channel 4’s Kirstie’s Fill Your House for Free had 1.3 million viewers (7.1%) at 8pm, narrowly ahead of Channel 5’s The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies, watched by 1.2 million viewers (6.9%).

BBC2’s most watched programme was Coast, with 1.7 million viewers (8.8%) at 9pm.

All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live, +1 (except for BBC channels) and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated

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