TV ratings: Coronation Street episode dropped over shooting storyline

ITV decided to dropped the scheduled episode of Coronation Street featuring a shooting last night, Wednesday 2 June, following Derrick Bird's killing spree in Cumbria yesterday . Coronation Street is scheduled to be stripped at 9pm every night this week, with an ongoing storyline about Tony Gordon, played by Gary O'Brien, escaping from prison and holding hostages in the Underworld clothing factory, armed with a gun. Last night's episode would have featured a shooting incident. ITV has also pulled tonight's edition of Coronation Street, in which the hostage storyline was due to continue. An ITV spokesman said the broadcaster would review the situation tomorrow before deciding whether to go ahead with Friday's 9pm Coronation Street broadcast. The episode was replaced on ITV1 at 9pm by a repeat of Harry Hill's Best of TV Burp, which was watched by 5.922 million viewers and attracted a 25.3% audience share. Another 193,000 (0.8%) watched on ITV1 HD. ITV1 continued to dominate peaktime viewing with the latest Britain's Got Talent semi final. On its first Wednesday outing from 7.30pm the show had 9.573 million (43.7%), with another 409,000 (1.9%) for the ITV1 HD simulcast. The Britain's Got Talent results show attracted 8.105 million (32.6%) from 9.30pm, with 386,000 (1.6%) on ITV1 HD. The other 9pm shows on the main terrestrial channels last night were BBC1's Junior Apprentice (4.045 million/16.8%, BBC HD 141,000/0.6%), BBC2's Atlantis: the Evidence (1.938 million/8%), Channel Five's NCIS (1.881 million/7.8%) and Channel 4's Genius of Britain (830,000/3.4%, C4+1 92,000/0.5%). The news channels saw their audiences boosted as viewers tuned in for updates on the Cumbrian shootings story. BBC News Channel hit a ratings high of 472,000 viewers in the 9pm hour, while Sky News' biggest audience came in the half hour from 9pm, with 304,000. 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 8pm: Waterloo Road - 2.655 million/11.6% BBC2 8pm: Springwatch - 2.404 million/10.5%, BBC HD 147,000/0.6% ITV1 7pm: Emmerdale - 6.06 million/35%, ITV HD 94,000/0.5% Channel 4 8pm: Three in a Bed - 1.044 million/4.6%, C4+1 186,000/0.8% 10pm: Desperate Housewives - 1.021 million/5.4%, C4+1 186,000/1.8% Five 8pm: Tutankhamun: the Mystery Revealed - 889,000/3.9% 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 - 376,000/2.3% 8pm: Melrose Place - 15,000/0.1% ITV2 10pm: Britain's Got More Talent - 650,000/3.5% E4 7pm: Hollyoaks - 341,000/2% BBC4 9pm: What Makes a Great Tenor? - 344,000/1.4% 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: Supernatural - 244,000/1% 10pm: Most Haunted - 59,000/0.3% 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".