TV ratings: Outnumbered outdoes the opposition

BBC1's critically lauded sitcom Outnumbered returned for its third series last night, Thursday 8 April, winning its slot. Outnumbered, shifted from its previous Saturday night slot, attracted 5.403 million viewers and a 22.1% audience share in the half hour from 9.30pm, according to unofficial overnights. Immediately before that on BBC1, an edition of Have I Got News for You hosted by Richard Herring was also the top-rated show in its slot with 5.461 million viewers (22.2%) from 9pm. BBC2's live coverage of the first day's play at the US Masters golf tournament, which featured Tiger Woods's return to the sport after a self-imposed exile, drew 1.687 million viewers (7.3%) over 90 minutes from 9pm. The network's coverage of the first day of the 2009 Masters attracted 1.9 million viewers in the same 9pm Thursday slot in April last year. Channel Five's live coverage of Liverpool's 4-1 Europa League win over Benfica drew 3.419 million viewers (14.1%) over two hours from 8pm, putting the network ahead of BBC2 and Channel 4 for that period. On Channel 4 in the 9pm hour new factual series How the Other Half Live had 1.763 million viewers (7.2%), with another 301,000 an hour later on Channel 4 +1. The Bill brought 3.522 million viewers (14.3%) to ITV1 in the 9pm hour. Channel 4's second Comedy Roast, featuring Sharon Osbourne, attracted 1.387 million viewers (7.7%) between 10pm and 11.05pm. Chris Tarrant completes Channel 4's Comedy Roast series tonight. Five's scheduling of a repeat of the movie Get Carter on the day that Michael Caine shared an election photo opportunity with David Cameron brought in 642,000 viewers (5.1%) between 10.15pm and 12.25am. Virgin 1 launched US drama import Warehouse 13 – first broadcast in the UK last year on Sci Fi – with 472,000 (1.9%) in the 9pm hour. Multichannel competition in the 9pm hour included More4's The Good Wife (297,000/1.2%) and Sky1's A League of Their Own (337,000/1.4%) and Glenn Martin, DDS (84,000/0.3%). In the 10pm hour Bones on Sky1 pulled in 489,000 viewers (2.7%) against More4's Brothers & Sisters (257,000/1.4%). • 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".