ITV1 leads ratings with murder documentary

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 23-Jun-09, 10:55

LONDON - A BBC One repeat of forensics drama series 'Waking the Dead' drew 3.5m viewers last night but trailed ITV1's documentary on the murder of Rachel Nickell, according to unofficial overnight figures.

ITV1 secured 4.1m viewers at 9pm-10pm for a documentary on the investigation of the murder of Nickell in 1992.

'Rachel Nickell - Case Closed: Real Crime' traced the history of the case which included wrongful conviction of Colin Stagg and the eventual conviction of the real killer Robert Napper.

Just over 19% of the audience watched the programme, compared to the 16.1% share for 'Waking the Dead' on BBC One.

BBC Two earned third place at 9pm-10pm with 2m viewers and a 9.2% share for 'The Supersizers Eat ... Medieval', featuring Giles Coren and Sue Perkins sampling the cuisine of Norman times.

Five brought in 1.3m viewers, a 5.9% share, with 'Build a New Life in the Country', while Channel 4 managed 863,000 viewers (3.9%) with 'The World's Greatest Musical Prodigies'. Another 68,000 watched on Channel 4+1.