The Apprentice reaches record high with 7.4m viewers

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 24-Apr-08, 11:20

LONDON - BBC One's 'The Apprentice' pulled in a record audience of 7.4m last night for the fifth episode of the series, which saw contestants making and selling ice cream, according to unofficial overnight figures.

'The Apprentice' won the 9pm slot for BBC One, attracting a 30.8% share of the audience, as viewers watched self-styled "African princess" Lindi Mngaza being booted out.

The series debuted with 6.4m viewers and has now averaged 6.7m across the run so far.

Meanwhile, ITV1's unsuccessful 'Rock Rivals' series finished on a low with 2.4m viewers and a 9.8% share of the 9pm-10pm audience. This was lower than its slot average of 2.6m and 10.8% share.

Channel 4's 'Child Genius' documentary attracted 1.7m viewers and a 6.9% share. Including ratings from Channel 4+1, it had 1.9m viewers and a 7.8% share.

BBC Two's series 'Dan Cruickshank's Adventures in Architecture', which features the historian exploring the world's greatest cities, netted 1.8m viewers and a 7.5% share of the audience.

'Property Ladder' achieved an 11.8% share of the 8pm audience for Channel 4 with 2.7m viewers tuning in to the third episode in the series, despite the credit crunch. Including the Channel 4+1 figures it brought in 2.8m viewers and a 12.6% share.

Also in the 8pm slot, BBC One's 'Traffic Cops' drew 5m viewers and a 21.7% share of the audience, while ITV1's 'The Bill' won the slot with 5.1m viewers and a 22.4% share.