ITV's Britain's Got Talent final, during which Simon Cowell was pelted with eggs, was the highest rating UK TV show of the year so far with an average audience of just over 11 million viewers on Saturday night.
The final, won by Hungarian shadow-dance troupe Attraction, averaged 11.1 million viewers and a 51.4% audience share over two and a half hours from 7.30pm.
Viewing on ITV reached a five-minute peak of 13.1 million and a 57% share. Over on ITV2, Britain's Got More Talent averaged 1.4 million and an 8% share from 10pm.
Last year's BGT final, won by Pudsey the dancing dog, averaged 11.9 million and a 48.4% share.
Previous finals
2011: winner Jai McDowell – 11.4 million (live final), 12.5 million (separate results show)
2010: Spelbound – 12.3 million/54.6% (combined live final and results show)
2009: Diversity – 15 million/69%, 17.3 million/68%
2008: George Sampson – 11 million/41%, 13.1 million/55%
2007: Paul Potts – 11 million/44%, 10.6 million/45%
The Voice was hauled out of the BGT final firing line, leaving an underwhelming BBC1 Saturday night line-up of a Pointless Celebrities repeat (7.30pm: 2.7 million/13.8%), The National Lottery: In It to Win It (8.20pm: 2.6 million/11.7%) and Casualty (9.10pm: 2.9 milllion/12.6%). BBC1's ratings were down by 50% or more for most of the 8pm-10pm period compared to the Saturday night average over the past three months.
BBC2 had live coverage of England's rugby union win against Argentina (7.30pm-10pm: 1 million/4.7%), while Channel 4 showed Ewan McGregor movie The Ghost (9pm: 700,000/3.8%) and Channel 5 had live boxing (9.30pm: 900,000/4.6%).
Have you been an un-American?
ITV's ratings came crashing back to earth from 10pm, with critically lauded US drama import The Americans averaged 2.3 million and 12.9%.
This was a tick above the 2.1 million and 12.7% for the previous weekend's opening episode, which followed a Les Dawson tribute show that averaged 5.3 million viewers.
But The Americans enjoyed relatively little audience uplift from its massive BGT ratings inheritance – perhaps not surprising, given the very different audiences the two shows are likely to appeal to.
Competition for The Americans included BBC1's repeat of Nicolas Cage movie The Rock (2.1 million/18.1%) and BBC2's music documentary History of the Eagles (900,000/6.4%).
BBC4's latest Scandinavian crime drama import, Arne Dahl, concluded its first series with an average of 480,000 viewers and a 2.2% audience share from 9pm.
All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live, +1 (except for BBC channels) and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated
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