BBC's Survivors trumps Chelsea match with 4.8m viewers

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 10-Dec-08, 10:40

LONDON - BBC One's post-apocalyptic drama series 'Survivors' pulled in 4.8m viewers beating ITV1's Champions League coverage of Chelsea's win over CFR Cluj, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The fourth episode of 'Survivors', which saw Julie Graham's character Abby searching for her son, won the prime-time slot with a 20.7% share of the 9pm-10pm audience.

ITV1's Champions League coverage of Chelsea's 2-1 win against Romanian champions CFR Cluj, thanks to goals from Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba, scored 3.4m viewers and a 14.5% share of the 7.30pm-10pm audience.

The match, which secured Chelsea a place in the Champions League second round, peaked at 4.2m viewers in the 9pm-9.15pm slot.

The first part of Channel 4 documentary series 'Country House Rescue', which saw Ruth Watson helping an elderly couple to restore their 15th century manor house, attracted 2.3m viewers and a 9.9% share of the 9pm-10pm audience. Including Channel 4+1 figures it reached 2.5m viewers.

'CSI Miami' drew 2.1m viewers (8.7%) to Five, pipping BBC Two's 'Horizon: Allergy Planet' documentary, which netted 1.9m viewers and an 8.2% share of the 9pm-10pm audience.

Horizon investigated why there has been such a huge rise in allergies around the world, considering options including genetics, air pollution and changes in diet, as well as the possibility that it is simply all in the head.