Jason Deans 

Eurovision contest on song for BBC1

Bonnie Tyler failed to impress at the musical extravaganza in Sweden, but the show was still watched by nearly 8m in the UK. By Jason Deans
  
  

Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler finished 19th in the Eurovision Song Contest, which was watched by nearly 8 million on BBC1. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

The traditional poor showing for the UK's Eurovision entrant, Bonnie Tyler, did not stop BBC1's live coverage averaging nearly 8 million viewers on Saturday night.

BBC1's Eurovision Song Contest averaged 7.7 million viewers and a 35.3% audience share over three and a half hours from 8pm.

The annual cheesefest was overshadowed by ITV's Britain's Got Talent (7.30pm-8.45pm: 9.2 million/40.1%) early on, but otherwise ruled the roost ratings-wise on Saturday evening, reaching a five-minute peak of 9.3 million viewers.

ITV competition later in the evening included The Cube (3.4 million/14.3%) and The Jonathan Ross Show (1.8 million/8.6%).

Eurovision ratings were very similar to last year, when an average of 7.5 million tuned in (36.2%).

Earlier in BBC1's Saturday schedule, series seven of the revived Doctor Who bowed out with 5.5 million viewers and a 25.9% audience share, against a You've Been Framed repeat on ITV (4.1 million/21.3%).

Novelist Jay McInerney's BBC2 profile of The Great Gatsby writer, Sincerely, F Scott Fitzgerald: a Culture Show Special, averaged 500,000 viewers and a 2.3% share over an hour from 8.30pm.

Channel 4's terrestrial premiere of Oliver Stone's Wall Street follow-up, Money Never Sleeps, averaged 1 million viewers and a 4.9% share from 9pm.

Channel 5's best rating show of the day was a 3.35pm repeat of movie The Dam Busters (1.3 million/10.8%).

All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live, +1 (except for BBC channels) and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated

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