TV ratings: Silent Witness glides past Dancing on Ice preview

BBC1 crime drama Silent Witness saw off a preview of ITV1's celebrity talent show, Dancing On Ice, with 6.6 million viewers on Friday 8 January. The concluding part of the two-part opener to the 13th series of Silent Witness, starring Tom Ward and Emilia Fox, had a 23% share of the audience between 9pm and 10pm, according to unofficial overnight figures. The Dancing on Ice curtain raiser attracted 6.3 million viewers, a 22% share, at the same time on ITV1. Both shows brought in more than twice the 3 million viewers who saw the latest instalment of Celebrity Big Brother, which had a 10% share between 9pm and 10pm, and another 420,000 on Channel 4 +1. At the same time on BBC2 documentary The History of Now – the Story of the Noughties, had 1.3 million viewers, a 5% share, while Channel Five's film Murder at 1600, starring Wesley Snipes, averaged 1.1 million viewers, a 5% share, between 9pm and 11.10pm. Celebrity Big Brother proved more popular for Channel 4 when it returned for its second edition of the night, averaging 3.4 million viewers, 17% of the audience, between 10.35pm and 11.05pm, with another 243,000 on Channel 4 +1. BBC1's National Lottery EuroMillions Draw had 3.5 million viewers, a 16% share, between 10.35pm and 10.45pm, followed by an average of 1.7 million viewers, a 13% share, for the Will Ferrell movie Blades of Glory between 10.45pm and 12.25am. A new series of Jimmy Carr quiz Eight out of 10 Cats also rated well for Channel 4, with 3.1 million viewers, a 12% share, between 10pm and 10.35pm, and another 348,000 on Channel 4 +1. The Channel 4 quiz beat BBC2's Stateside sitcom Nurse Jackie, which had 800,000 viewers, a 3% share. Earlier, a special 40th edition of A Question of Sport gained 6.1 million viewers, a 24% share, between 7pm and 7.30pm. But it was still not enough to beat ITV1's Emmerdale, which managed 8.4 million viewers, 33% of the audience. Boosted no doubt by the bad weather, once again EastEnders and both episodes of Coronation Street topped 10 million viewers. Coronation Street had 10.7 million viewers, a 40% share, between 7.30pm and 8pm, beating the 4.2 million, 16% of the audience, who saw a highlights package of the best of the Impressions Show With Culshaw and Stephenson on BBC1. The ITV1 soap returned with another 10.2 million viewers, 36% of the audience, at 8.30pm, beating the 5.2 million, an 18% share, who watched QI on BBC1. In between, BBC1's EastEnders garnered 10.9 million viewers, 39% of the audience between 8pm and 8.30pm – the highest rating show of the night, eclipsing the 4.2 million who watched ITV1's Countrywise. • 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".