ITV1's comedy soap tie-up pays off with 5m on first night

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 11-Jan-08, 10:45

LONDON - ITV1's genre alchemy, combining comedy and soap in 'Moving Wallpaper' and 'Echo Beach', was watched by 5m last night, while Channel 4 tied with BBC One on 3.1m according to unofficial overnight figures.

The show, a mix of a soap with a comedy drama about the writers behind it, produced no ill effects on the first night, with the 'Moving Wallpaper' audience sticking around to see Jason Donovan's encounter with Martine McCutcheon in 'Echo Beach'.

Five million people tuned in to the two shows with 'Moving Wallpaper' taking a 21.3% share at 9-9.30pm and 'Echo Beach' a 21.8% share at 9.30-10pm.

BBC One's own peak-time experiment with the first in a series of modern interpretations of fairytales lacked fizzle, and its ratings were equalled by Channel 4.

BBC One has three more 'Fairytales' to show following last night's updating of 'Rapunzel' in which the long-haired heroine is a modern-day tennis champion.

Channel 4's food week continued with an edition of 'Dispatches' focused on the accuracy of food labelling, which attracted 3.1m viewers and earned a 13.3% share.

The 12-part 'Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach' series continues at 9pm tonight after a double episode of 'Coronation Street' as part of ITV1's revamped weekend schedule, widely publicised with a series of press ads telling people the weekend feels sunny.

Channel 4 is likely to do well at 9pm with 'Jamie's Fowl Dinners', in which the TV chef turns his campaigning focus onto the dismal conditions suffered by chickens reared for egg and meat production.

He follows fellow foodie Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his own attack on the poultry industry in 'Hugh's Chicken Run'.