TV ratings: Father & Son wins battle with Luther

ITV1's Father & Son came out on top in the battle of the 9pm dramas with BBC1's Luther last night, Tuesday 8 June. The second episode of Father & Son, which is being aired on four consecutive nights this week, attracted 4.086 million viewers and a 17.5% share on ITV1. The ITV1 HD simulcast attracted a further 157,000 (0.6%). Father & Son, starring Dougray Scott, launched with 5.35 million (22.4%) on Monday night . Crime drama Luther concluded its six-part run with 3.492 million viewers (14.9%) on BBC1 and 207,000 (0.9%) on BBC HD. Luther began with 5.757 million (24.3%) in early May . Father & Son was 35% up on ITV1's average audience share in the Tuesday 9pm hour over the past three months, while Luther was nearly 18% down by the same comparison. The 9pm competition included new BBC2 series Tribal Wives (1.995 million/8.5%), a life-swap format in which six British women go to live in some of the remotest communities in the world. Another new series launched on Channel 4 in the slot, Inside Nature's Giants (1.888 million/8.1%, C4+1 230,000/1.3%), while on Channel Five CSI had 1.992 million (8.5%). In multichannel, the second series of US sci-fi drama Fringe concluded on Sky1 with 246,000 viewers (1.4%) from 10pm, while Bravo's Sparticus: Blood and Sand continued with 273,000 (1.6%) in the same slot. Five main terrestrial analogue networks BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel Five (available in all UK homes with TV, except Five, which reaches about 95%) BBC1 7.30pm: EastEnders - 6.461 million/29.4% 8pm: Holby City - 5.275 million/23.3% BBC2 8pm: Springwatch - 2.904 million/12.8%, BBC HD 46,000/0.2% ITV1 7pm-8pm: Emmerdale - 6.03 million/28.9%, ITV1 HD 110,000/0.6% 8pm: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - 3.426 million/15.1%, ITV1 HD 76,000/0.3% Channel 4 8pm: Gok's Fashion Fix - 1.856 million/8.2%, C4+1 247,000/1.1% 10pm: Big Brother's Big Awards Show - 1.342 million/7.6%, C4+1 169,000/1.8% Five 8pm: Volcanic Ash: the Ticking Timebomb - 1.499 million/6.6% 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 Fiver 6.30pm: Home and Away - 544,000/3% ITV2 9pm: The Vampire Diaries - 563,000/2.4% ITV4 9pm: TT 2010 - 384,000/1.6% E4 7pm: Hollyoaks - 444,000/2.3% 9pm: Smallville - 164,000/0.7% More4 10pm: True Stories: Albino United - 117,000/0.7% BBC3 8pm: Blood Sweat, and Me - 245,000/1.1% 9pm: Who Is Nelson Mandela? - 238,000/1% 10pm: EastEnders (rpt) - 1.428 million/7% BBC4 9pm: Nixon in the Den - 316,000/1.4% Virgin1 9pm: The Naked Office - 115,000/0.5% Cable and satellite pay-TV networks Available in 12.4m UK homes – 48.2% of total – as of 31/12/09. Source: Ofcom digital progress report, Q4 2009 Living 9pm: Cougar Town - 271,000/1.2% 9.30pm: Cougar Town - 226,000/1% Sky1 8pm: Stargate Universe - 268,000/1.2% All ratings are unofficial 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".