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Time travel cop show Ashes to Ashes opened with 7 million viewers last night, February 7, giving BBC1 a ratings win over ITV1's Trial & Retribution.
Ashes to Ashes, the sequel to the hit 1970s-set drama Life on Mars, sees present-day psychologist Alex Drake, played by Keeley Hawes, transported back to London in 1981.
There she encounters unreconstructed detective Gene Hunt, the anti-hero of Life on Mars, and gets embroiled in busting East End villains as she attempts to solve the riddle of her own situation.
Last night's 7 million audience was in line with the final episode of Life on Mars in April last year, though well up on the earlier show's second series debut of 5.7 million two months earlier.
Ashes to Ashes averaged a share of 29% in the 9pm hour last night, putting it well ahead of Trial & Retribution.
The ITV1 drama fell to a series low of 5.1 million viewers and a 21% share, according to unofficial overnight ratings.
However, that was not too bad a defeat given the heavy publicity blitz this week for Ashes to Ashes and the fact that Trial & Retribution had previously enjoyed an easy run against BBC1's low-rating Fairy Tales.
Also in the 9pm hour, Channel 4's documentary about the death of the Earl of Shaftesbury, Who Killed the Playboy Earl?, drew 1.4 million viewers and a 6% share. Another 118,000 watched the documentary an hour later on Channel 4+1.
BBC2's slot was a tale of two halves, with the last edition of the current run of Never Mind the Buzzcocks attracting 2.3 million viewers and a 9% share, while comedy show Little Miss Jocelyn drew 1 million and 4%.
On Channel Five, Make Your Child Brilliant attracted 500,000 viewers and a 2% share in the 9pm hour.
Ashes to Ashes inherited 4.9 million viewers from school-set BBC1 drama Waterloo Road, which averaged a 20% share in the 8pm hour.
Although 200,000 viewers up on last week, this was not enough to overhaul ITV1's The Bill, which drew 5.4 million viewers and a 23% share in the same slot.
On Channel 4, a double bill of Jamie at Home drew 2.1 million viewers and a 9% share from 8pm, and 2 million and 8% half an hour later. The shows drew an extra 147,000 and 164,000 respectively on the +1 channel an hour later.
Over on BBC2, Masterchef pulled in 3.2 million viewers and a 13% share, while Five's Build a New Life in the Country - Was It Worth It? drew 1.2 million and 4%.
At 10pm, Ashes to Ashes' ratings legacy helped BBC1 to a 2.4 million lead over ITV1 in the news battle, up from just a 1.2 million margin last Thursday.
The BBC1 bulletin averaged 4.9 million viewers and a 26% share over 35 minutes, while News at Ten drew 2.5 million viewers and 14%.
BBC1's Question Time then pulled in 2.7 million viewers and a 22% share between 10.35pm and 11.35pm.
Channel 4's movie repeat Stuck on You drew 800,000 viewers and a 7% share from 10pm to 12.10am, with another 41,000 following the Matt Damon bad-taste comedy an hour later on the +1 channel.
BBC2's 10pm comedy Never Better, starring Stephen Mangan, pulled in an audience of 800,000 and a 4% share.
Earlier in the night, ITV1 soap Emmerdale attracted 7.3 million viewers and a 35% share in the half-hour from 7pm, ahead of the 4.9 million and 23% watching the One Show on BBC1.
EastEnders had the night's biggest audience, with 9.4 million viewers and a 42% share at 7.30pm, against ITV1's selection of regional programming, which averaged 4.3 million and 19% collectively.
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