TV ratings: Boulton and Campbell spat watched by 350,000

Adam Boulton's live verbal donnybrook with Alastair Campbell was watched by more than 350,000 viewers on Sky News yesterday, another day of extraordinary Westminster drama. Viewers turned to Sky News and BBC News Channel as Gordon Brown's resignation ratcheted up the stakes in the game of political poker over the formation of the next government. The Sky News political editor's row with Labour's former director of communications came at about 5.40pm, shortly after Brown's resignation statement, during the channel's daily Live at Five show, anchored by Jeremy Thompson. Sky News averaged 366,000 viewers during the half hour from 5.30pm – the channel's best audience of the day. Overall, Live at Five had 310,000 viewers across two hours from 5pm. BBC News Channel did even better in the ratings, with 698,000 viewers across the 5pm hour. The BBC rolling news network averaged 459,000 viewers across six hours between 5pm and 11pm, during which time it simulcast BBC1's 6pm and 10pm bulletins as usual. BBC News Channel had an all-individuals audience share of 2.9% yesterday, making it the most-watched multichannel network for the third day out of the past five. The new channel's ratings are normally well below those of the most popular multichannel networks, such as ITV2, ITV3 and E4, but it has enjoyed a boost since election day with the ongoing political uncertainty over the makeup of the next government. BBC News Channel was also the most-watched multichannel network on Thursday (2.8%) and Friday (3.6%). Over the past three months BBC News Channel has had an average daily share of 1%. Sky News has also enjoyed a ratings hike because of the inconclusive election result, with an all-individuals share of 1.4% yesterday, compared to a daily average of 0.6% over the past three months. Elsewhere yesterday, ITV1's decision to run two-part documentary Wormwood Scrubs in peak time was handsomely rewarded in the ratings. The first part of Wormwood Scrubs easily won the 9pm hour, attracting 5.019 million (20.9%) on ITV1. Another 112,000 (0.5%) watched on ITV1 HD. Wormwood Scrubs got more than double the audience of the BBC1's 9pm show, new series High Street Dreams, which had 2.473 million (10.3%). Another 20,000 (0.08%) watched on BBC HD. 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 1pm: BBC News - 2.752 million/38.5% 6pm: BBC News - 4.942 million/27.1% 8pm: EastEnders - 8.13 million/34.7% 8.30pm: Panorama: Election 2010 special - 2.987 million/12.5% 10pm: BBC News - 5.259 million/24.8% 10.35pm: The Graham Norton Show - 2.29 million/16.4%, BBC HD 35,000/0.25% BBC2 7.30pm: TOTP2: 80s Special - 2.134 million/9.2% 9pm: Grumpy Guide to the Eighties - 2.807 million/11.7% 10.30pm: Newsnight - 1.395 million/9.7% ITV1 1.30pm: ITV News - 1.155 million/16.2%, ITV1 HD 5,000/0.1% 6.30pm: ITV News - 3.424 million/17.4%, ITV1 HD 36,000 7pm: Emmerdale - 6.732 million/32.3%, ITV1 HD 94,000/0.5% 7.30pm: Coronation Street - 9.087 million/40.7%, ITV1 HD 95,000/0.4% 8pm: Goodbye Blanche - 4.576 million/19.5%, ITV1 HD 38,000/0.2% 8.30pm: Coronation Street - 8.631 million/36%, ITV1 HD 131,000/0.6% 10pm: News at Ten - 2.868 million/13.7%, ITV1 HD 59,000/0.2% Channel 4 7pm: Channel 4 News - 1.149 million/5.3%, C4+1 86,000/0.4% 8pm: Young, Autistic and Stagestruck - 508,000/2.1%, C4+1 60,000/0.3% 9pm: Blitz Street - 1.382 million/5.8%, C4+1 120,000/0.6% 10pm: Derren Brown Investigates (new series) - 1.902 million/10.4%, C4+1 252,000/2.8% Five 5pm: Five News - 762,000/6.4% 8pm: The Gadget Show - 972,000/4.1% 9pm: FlashForward - 1.427 million/6% 10pm: Justin Lee Collins: Good Times - 240,000/1.3% 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 ITV3 10pm: Ladies of Letters - 337,000/1.6% E4 9pm: Glee - 1.218 million/5.1% 10pm: The Cleveland Show - 414,000/2% 10.30pm: King of the Hill - 56,000/0.8% BBC3 10pm: EastEnders (rpt) - 840,000/4% 10.30pm: Bizarre ER (new series) - 328,000/2% 11pm: Bizarre ER - 415,000/3.8% BBC4 9pm: Mark Lawson Talks to Timothy Spall - 262,000/1.1% 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: Four Weddings - 281,000/1.2% Sky1 10pm: NCIS: Los Angeles - 222,000/1.2% Sky Sports 1 6pm-10pm: World Twenty20: England v New Zealand - 709,000/3.2% Sky Movies Premiere 9pm: The Pacific - 267,000 All ratings are unofficial live overnight figures, excluding other viewing – including timeshifted (recorded), on demand, HD, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. 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