Strictly Come Dancing steps back with more than 7m

Strictly Come Dancing returned with just over 7 million viewers on BBC1 and BBC HD, eclipsing ITV1's All Star Family Fortunes on Saturday, 11 September. The dance show, which returned for its eighth series with an hour-long preview show introducing this year's celebrities, attracted 6.817 million viewers and a 36.2% share between 6.25pm and 7.25pm on BBC1, with another 247,000 on the BBC's high definition channel. All Star Family Fortunes pulled in 4.59 million viewers and a 22.2% share on ITV1 and ITV1 HD between 7pm and 7.45pm. ITV1 HD's share of this audience was 104,000. Strictly Come Dancing pulled in fewer viewers than the 8.4 million who watched the Friday night launch of last year's series, which unlike this year featured the first round of dancing, but drew more than the 6 million who saw its opening Saturday night preview show in 2008. BBC1's fantasy drama Merlin returned for its third series with 5.824 million viewers and a 25.5% share between 7.25pm and 8.10pm. This was more than the 5.1 million (27%) who saw the first episode of the second series , but fewer than the 6.6 million (30%) for the debut season launch in 2008. The X Factor had its second highest audience of the current series to date, with 10.777 million viewers and a 44.5% share between 7.45pm and 9pm, of whom 445,000 were watching on ITV1 HD. Five main terrestrial analogue networks BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel Five (available in all UK homes with TV, except Channel 5, which reaches about 95%) BBC1 9.10pm: Last Night of the Proms – 3.674 million/17.5%, BBC HD 174,000/0.8% BBC2 7.30pm-9.10pm: Last Night of the Proms – 1.272 million/5.4%, BBC HD 103,000/0.4% ITV1/ITV1 HD 9pm: 71 Degrees North (new series) – 4.822 million/22.1% Channel 4 9pm: 9/11: State of Emergency – 2.165 million/10.1%, C4+1 – 356,000/2% Channel 5 9.10pm: CSI (rpt) – 1.301 million/6.1% Freeview/digital terrestrial TV free-to-air networks Available in 23.4m UK homes – 91.4% of total – as of 31/12/09. Source: Ofcom digital progress report, Q4 2009 ITV2 9pm: The Xtra Factor – 1.186 million/5.4% ITV4 7pm: Cycling: Tour of Britain – 134,000/0.6% All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, HD, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".