BBC wins talent fight as Strictly Come Dancing waltzes it

by Sam Matthews,, Brand Republic 13-Dec-04, 08:55

LONDON – The BBC won the Saturday night talent show battle against ITV as 'Strictly Come Dancing' toppled ITV's 'X Factor' in the ratings, attracting more than 11m viewers to the final.

The final of BBC One's 'Strictly Come Dancing', which saw 'EastEnders'' star Jill Halfpenny dance her way to victory, attracted 11.2m viewers while ITV's 'X Factor', which saw Steve Brookstein beat classical quartet G4, peaked at 9.9m on Saturday night in comparison.

The BBC show has emerged as the ratings winner this series, attracting up to 2m more than 'X Factor' each week for the past few months. Last week, 6.7m tuned into 'X Factor' while 'Stricly Come Dancing' dominated Saturday peaktime with 8.8m.

Halfpenny, who scored a perfect 40, beat athlete Denise Lewis to the top spot, while camp comedian Julian Clary, who won over the viewers hearts with his personality rather than his dancing skills, came in third.

On winning the show, Halfpenny said: "This feels absolutely amazing."

On the 'X Factor', 8m people voted for Brookstein to win the £1m recording contract with Simon Cowell's S Records through the BMG record company.

Brookstein will release a cover version of Phil Collins' 'Against All Odds' in the run-up to Christmas.

Bookmakers are expecting huge payouts this week after punters were putting their money on Steve before the live shows even started.

"We're hoping that Steve doesn't hit his notes otherwise we'll be shelling out £50 notes. We prefer the harmony of G4 to a six-figure payout," a Ladbrokes spokesperson said on Friday.

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